Ex Libris 
 C. K. OGDEN 
 
 * * * * * i 
 ******** 
 ****** * I 
 
 *** ***** * * 
 
 *******. 
 ' ***^******* * 
 
 ^ ^r* ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ** ^^ 
 
 ft****** * *** ***** * * 
 * * * * * *^* *^* * * * 
 (t * * * * * ****** 
 
 ***** * * * * * * * 
 ^ * ********** 
 ***** * * *^*^*^* * 
 
 ^r * * * ******* *^ 
 
 * * * * * *^*^*^.*^*^* * 
 |r*********** 
 
 ************ 
 * * * * * ******* 
 ************ 
 
 ************ 
 fr^* ********** 
 
 ************ 
 ^^* ********** 
 
 ************ 
 frF *********** 
 
 ************ 
 fr, *********** 
 
 * * * *** ********* * * 
 
 ********** a *^* %4 * ****** 
 ^t *********** 
 ************ 
 
 *r * *^* *,_* ****** 
 
 *^* * * * *^*^*^_* *^* * 
 ^r*********** 
 
 * * * * * ******* 
 ^- *********** 
 
 . * * .-*T*-* *-*/*.*.*.** 
 
 * ***** ***** *** 
 
 * *^*^*-*-*^*.<* * * * * 
 
 * * * * * * * * * * * *
 
 **'********** 
 
 * .* * * * * * * *^*^* * 
 ************ 
 
 ************ 
 
 * * * * * * * * % * * * 
 
 * * *-*-*-*-*-* *-*-*-* 
 ************ 
 
 * * * * * * * * * * * * 
 
 * *^*^* * * ****** 
 
 * * % *^*u.^^*^* *-*-*-*- 
 
 * * * * * * * * * * * * 
 
 * * * * ******* ***** ** 
 ******** * *** ********* 
 
 * ***** * *** * * * * * 
 
 *-**.***'''*..*.*'.* * * 
 
 ^^ ^^ ^Pl ^^ 1^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ 
 
 * *^* ********* 
 
 * *-.*^*-.*^*-.*^'* *^.*-.-*-*u 
 
 * * * * * * * * * * * * 
 
 * *** ******** * 
 ************ 
 
 * *^* ********* 
 
 * ********************** 
 
 ^T ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^^ ^ ^^ ^^ ^* * 
 
 * *** ********* *******JT 
 
 ^r ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^r ^^s ^^ ^^ ^ 
 
 * * * * *. - * w _*r * * *^*^* 
 
 ********** *^| 
 ************ 
 
 * * * * * * * * * * * * 
 
 * *^*^*^*-*^*^*^*^*-*^* 
 
 ***********^ 
 
 * *^*^*^*^.*^*^.* * *^.*^* 
 
 ****** * * * * * J| 
 
 * *^*^*^.*^.*^*^*^* ^^*^* 
 
 ****** *r * * * * ^ 
 
 ***********^ 
 ************ 
 ***********^ 
 
 * *r *^*r *r *r * ***** 
 
 ***********^ 
 ************ 
 
 * * * * * * * * * * * ^ 
 ************
 
 THE KEY OF THE FORTH ; 
 
 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 ISLAND OF MAY 
 
 INTERSPERSED WITH A VARIETY OF CURIOUS SCENES 
 ON THE EAST COAST OF FIFE. 
 
 JOHN JACK, 
 
 ACTHOR OF THE " HISTOttY OF ST MONANCE.' 
 
 EDINBURGH: W. P. NIMMO. 
 
 CUPAR-FIFE: WHITEHEAD & ORR. 
 
 AND ALL BOOKSELLERS. 
 
 1 8 5 8 .
 
 WHITEHE.U) AND ORK, PRINTERS, GTPAK-FIKE.
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 IN the spacious theatre of rational existence, the 
 ever-varying drama of life, with all its gorgeous 
 scenery, appears teeming with incessant revolu- 
 tion, interspersed with alternate sunshine and 
 shade, and chequered, in all its exhibitions, with 
 interminable vicissitude. The favourite pursuits 
 that engross the attention, engage the affections, 
 and incite all the faculties of the busy actors on 
 the whirling stage, are as diversified in their 
 nature and character as are the dispositions, 
 inclinations, and predilections that rule in the 
 intellectual empire ; and each pursuit, however 
 trivial or important, rational or romantic, is 
 actuated by a peculiar impulse, governed by a 
 distinctive aim, and consummated in a definite 
 purpose. Nor is the sphere of action, the arena 
 of human enterprise, restricted to the narrow 
 limits of man's visual horizon, or circumscribed 
 within the precincts of an island, an ocean, or a 
 continent, but comprehends the immeasurable 
 
 .^. /3
 
 1'HKFACK. 
 
 creation, the boundless universe of visible being ; 
 and every object existing within that fathomless 
 range, whether rational or sensitive, animate or 
 inanimate, is rendered subservient to the aims, 
 ends, and purposes of human ingenuity. The 
 geologist relinquishes the contemplation of the 
 present and the dubious uncertainty of the future, 
 and descending into the cloud-wrapt gloom of 
 antiquity, scans the fragments of creation, from 
 the pebbles on the sea-shore to the latent fossils 
 secreted in the bowels of the earth. Impelled by 
 the inquisitive principle that reigns inherent in 
 the bosom of man, and was first developed in the 
 blessed retreats of innocence, he wades through 
 the ravelled mazes of perplexing research, till he 
 attains the consummation of his enterprise, a 
 scientific basis whereon he erects a complacent 
 belief that the globe which he inhabits revolved 
 for countless centuries antecedent to its date in 
 the annals of history, sacred or profane. The 
 soaring astronomer, losing sight of the dark 
 terrestrial sphere, travels in vision through the 
 azure void, surveys the boundless fields of infini- 
 tude, wends his pathless way through a labyrinth 
 of worlds, and holds familiar intercourse with the 
 gorgeous equipage that crowds the amphitheatre 
 of heaven ; and having indulged to satiety his 
 high-toned intellectual appetite, he descends in 
 triumph through the dazzling splendours of the
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 galaxy, the fanciful pathway of the gods, and 
 discloses to the wondering world the glorious 
 feats achieved by his ethereal expedition, and 
 disseminates over the benighted empire of man a 
 luminous blaze from the orb of science. The 
 intelligent geographer, inspired with a spirit of 
 ardent intrepidity, and governed by an innate 
 principle of inquiring curiosity, forsakes the 
 peaceful home of his nativity, the social inter- 
 changes of friendly intercourse, and all the 
 attractive charms that indulge the cultivated 
 fancy in a land of civilisation ; and inflated with 
 the prospect of discovering rivers and regions 
 remote, that never loomed on his vision, and only 
 appear in faint outlines, portrayed by the random 
 pencil of imagination, he braves the perils of tern, 
 pestuous elements, traverses interminable oceans, 
 endures the scorching influence of a vertical sun, 
 and the inclement sterility of the frigid blast that 
 paves the polar sea. Exposed to the toils, the 
 perils, and privations of pedestrian existence, 
 he explores the wilds of uncultured nature, ran- 
 sacks the barbarous retreats of savage irrationals, 
 and rational savages, where the relentless cannibal, 
 more ferocious than the beasts of prey, devours 
 his kindred flesh ; and, if he falls not a victim to 
 his temerity in the midst of his enterprise, dis- 
 closes secrets pregnant with important advantages 
 to the commercial world, and adds a brilliant
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 star to the scientific constellation that illumes 
 the literary horizon of civilised Europe. The 
 indefatigable historian gropes his dubious way 
 through the mystified avenues of oblivious obscur- 
 ity, rakes up the ashes of vanished generations, 
 pores over the tattered, half-obliterated records of 
 antiquity, baffling the power of vision to perceive 
 and modern ingenuity to decipher, and scans with 
 unrelaxing perseverance the moss-covered sculp- 
 ture that faintly wrestles with conquering time 
 amid the mouldering ruins of architecture ; and, 
 like the fastidious florist, culling a garland from 
 every accessible parterre, or the industrious bee, 
 extracting the sweets from every blooming feature 
 of the vegetable creation, he, having exhausted 
 every visible and tangible source of information, 
 resorts to the muddy fountain of tradition that 
 flows through a thousand devious channels to fill 
 up the blank in his intellectual grasp. With acute 
 ear, untiring attention, and intense interest, he 
 listens to the stifled accents that hang on the 
 faltering tongue and time-worn vocables of gar- 
 rulous age ; while the shattered remnant of 
 vigorous humanity, bowing beneath the pressure 
 of years and decrepitude, communicates with 
 peculiar delight the unwritten history of memor- 
 able events, transmitted through the dark vista of 
 entombed ages, suspended on the treacherous 
 hook of human recollection, and subject to the
 
 ceaseless vicissitude of unnumbered generations. 
 Hence the prying inquirer is enabled to follow his 
 favourite pursuit into the bewildering mist of 
 elapsed time, far beyond the province of record ; 
 and numerous incidents are consequently pre- 
 vented from descending into the impervious gloom 
 of utter oblivion. 
 
 The muse-inspired poet, governed by the pre- 
 possessions of fancy, celebrates, in glowing strains 
 of lofty eloquence and exalted figures of imagery, 
 landscapes distinguished for their boldness and 
 picturesque scenery, mountains, rivers, and lakes 
 fancied in the tales of superstitious antiquity, as 
 the dreaded, blood-freezing haunts of supernatural 
 beings ; or, under a different impulse of imagina- 
 tion, celebrates, in flowing strains of sentimental 
 harmony, the fields of sanguinary conflict, the 
 glorious achievements of arms, and the dauntless 
 hero whose intrepid prowess earned the laurels of 
 victory. Cessation from the various vocations of 
 life must be occupied either by intellectual pursuits, 
 physical recreation, or mere animal indulgence ; 
 the fleeting moments of time must, by every rnan, 
 be devoted to some peculiar occupation, though it 
 were but killing flies, in imitation of ancient 
 royalty. 
 
 The Author of the following treatise, compre- 
 hending historical sketches and tales connected 
 with the Island of May, has selected this peculiar
 
 Vlll 1'HKFACK. 
 
 subject of research under the influence of a com- 
 plicated impulse, deriving its powers of action 
 from a combination of internal prepossessions, as 
 well as external circumstances. An irresistible 
 predilection for the curious traditions of antiquity, 
 the interesting events, the mysterious incidents, 
 the remarkable exhibitions of a diversified cha- 
 racter, that have been enacted in connection with 
 the history of the island, and a predominant desire 
 to preserve such from ultimately descending into 
 the rayless dungeon of utter forgetfulness, consti- 
 tute the main-spring of his protracted exertions 
 on the present occasion. This isolated object, 
 both previous and subsequent to its artificial 
 illumination, has, from the earliest ages of mari- 
 time commerce, been the scene of countless appal- 
 ling shipwrecks and dreadful sacrifice of human 
 life. It points out the inlet of the German Ocean, 
 by means of which is afforded a valuable facility 
 to the commercial operations of Scotland, as it 
 opens up a communication with a large and popu- 
 lous theatre of agricultural and mercantile enter- 
 prise. The reader will at once perceive something 
 of an entirely novel character in the arrangement 
 of these historical remarks. Historical works 
 uniformly commence at some remote period of 
 obscure antiquity, and gradually descend from the 
 past to the present, as the stream that proceeds 
 from the mountain meanders down the declivity
 
 till its waters expand and incorporate with their 
 parent ocean. 
 
 Whereas, in the subjoined narration of events, 
 the Author, being unable to perceive, amid the 
 confused jungle of traditionary incidents, a clear 
 and distinct epoch in the wide waste of vanished 
 ages, where he might with certainty fix the 
 starting point of his adventure, commences by 
 detailing the circumstances that exhibit them- 
 selves in the sunshine of the visible present, and 
 by retrospective research prosecutes his expedi- 
 tion, in a converse direction, into the tenebrious 
 gloom that envelopes the past. And having, with 
 considerable labour and persevering inquiry, ex- 
 tracted from the ever-varying volume of tradi- 
 tion a vast variety of notable events, both of a 
 vicious and virtuous, a comic and tragic charac- 
 ter, and arranged them in separate chapters, 
 according to the era which gave them existence, 
 he now most respectfully submits the chequered 
 volume to the diversified taste of a discerning 
 public. Though some of the chapters may appear 
 to have no affinity whatever with the subject pro- 
 posed, they are either prefatory reflections or 
 digressive allusions, expressly designed to intro- 
 duce to the intelligent reader the diversified 
 scenes enacted in the days of innocent simplicity 
 and feudal barbarism ; others, from the circum- 
 stances therein narrated, may much more resemble
 
 X PREFACE. 
 
 a history of the East Coast of Fife, and the most 
 memorable events that occurred there in the 
 remote ages of antiquity, than of the Island of 
 May ; but all are selected and introduced with a 
 distinct reference to the subject, and either have 
 their origin, or ultimatum, in singular transac- 
 tions, feats, and achievements exhibited on, or in 
 intimate connection with, that notable islet, as the 
 attentive reader, by connecting the apparently 
 detached links, will eventually discover. 
 
 The tempests that cloud the horizon around, 
 
 In howling convulsions, may menace the towers ; 
 The proud heaving billows in tumults may bound, 
 
 And nature exhaust her insensible powers ; 
 The actors that figure on time's moral stage 
 
 Gay prospects may shroud in a mantle of gloom ; 
 Vile passions envenomed like ocean may rage, 
 
 And thousands untimely convey to the tomb ; 
 
 Despite the unprincipled jarring and strife 
 
 Of tyrant ambition, that empires annoy, 
 And the boisterous tumults of powers without life, 
 
 That oft the fair scenery of nature destroy 
 The Key of the Forth, on its basis secure, 
 
 'Mid the deep-rolling flood still unshaken remain?, 
 Dispenses hope's beams through the night-shade obscuie, 
 
 And the soul of the sea-beaten sailor sustains.
 
 THE KEY OF THE FORTH; 
 
 on, 
 
 HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 MAN'S position, as he whirls amid the changeful scenery 
 of life's tumultuous theatre, is but that of a bewildered 
 traveller in a trackless wild, enveloped in a haze imper- 
 vious to his unaided perception ; the past and the future 
 appear equally involved in a deep veil of unchequered 
 obscurity, through which he essays in vain to thrust his 
 eager, enquiring eyes. Upon his own little eminence, 
 by fancy created, he erects a gorgeous tower of self- 
 importance ; and exalting himself on its loftiest pinnacle, 
 he can survey the circumjacent landscape drawn by the 
 pencil of nature, and render its diversified features fami- 
 liar to his observation. But his ocular dominion, like 
 the furious billows of the ocean, admits a restraining 
 limit, and the entire world appears circumscribed within 
 the narrow compass of his visual horizon. And were 
 stern impossibility to relinquish for an instant the 
 absolute dominion which it holds in the province of 
 mortals, and permit this self-exalted being, by one 
 miraculous effort, to overbound the extreme precincts 
 of this contracted circumference for ought within the
 
 HISTORICAL SKETCH!:.-: 
 
 range of his intuitive ken, he might plunge headlong 
 into a boiling ocean ; a blissful elysium ; or a dismal void, 
 a fathomless abyss of rayless night. Sated with tha- 
 prospect beneath, he lifts his aspiring head and heave? 
 his glistening eyes into the vast, stupendous concave 
 that capes alike the snow-clad mountain and the mole- 
 hill, and forms a splendid canopy for the lofty prince 
 arrayed in all the splendours of his dazzling panoply, as 
 well as for the humble peasant attired in his simple 
 habiliments. Here, with gazing wonder, he surveys the 
 magnificent azure-vaulted arena where the radiant, life- 
 inspiring sovereign of day beams and burns in glorious 
 effulgence. Here he wanders, as it were, with mingling 
 familiarity amongst the countless worlds that roam in 
 harmonious confusion through the boundless fields of 
 ether, till the powers of his finite vision, inadequate to 
 the vastness of the prospect, become absorbed in the 
 soul-bewildering distance, overwhelmedin sublime amaze- 
 ment, and engulphed in the regions of infinitude. 
 And the ultimatum of all his discovery merely induces 
 the simple conclusion, that, however exalted his position 
 in the scale of rational existence, he is still the identical 
 traveller, warpt in the toils of enchantment, immured 
 and bewildered in the bosom of a cloud, groping his 
 dubious way through a maze of uncertainty, a pathless 
 fairyland, teeming with illusive phantoms, deceptive 
 pit-falls, and invisible precipices. The weary, wayfaring 
 wight, whom the evening twilight has summoned to 
 some convenient caravansary to repose for the night and 
 recruit exhausted nature, may, by an effort of memory, 
 retrace every step of his pilgrimage up to the point of 
 his departure, and distinctly perceive reflected in the 
 mirror of fancy every object of attraction or repulsion 
 that in his devious wanderings has arrested his attention. 
 Here, in naked sterility, extends the barren waste,
 
 OF THE ISLAXD OF MAY. '> 
 
 vmblest by the winding rivulet, the shady umbrage, or 
 diversifying oasis ; and there, the verdant lawn, arranged 
 in all its charms, uncursed by the sterile breath of the 
 desert, the lava of the bursting volcano, or blighting 
 influence of the death -disseminating upas. Here, the 
 scented grove, whose balmy fragrance, wafted on the 
 breeze, perfumes the ambient atmosphere; and there, the 
 bending forest, mantled in deep luxuriant foliage, sha- 
 dowing the princely dome of modern architecture that 
 glitters in gorgeous magnificence, or wrapping in sombre 
 obscurity yon hallowed fane, the mouldering monument 
 of antiquity. Thus borne, as it were, on the fleet 
 pinions of vision, he measures back the rugged path 
 through the scenes he has distanced ; whilst his jaded 
 limbs, extended on the pallet of repose, enjoy the blest 
 indulgence of suspended action. The reminiscent facul- 
 ties of the soul often in like manner recal events which 
 the silent wheels of time have hurled down the dark 
 avenue of the past, and consigned to oblivion's conceal- 
 ment. And whilst these loom in glimmering retrospect 
 on the mental vision, like distant objects on the external 
 sense, they excite a burst of feelings responding in 
 quality to the respective character of the events by which 
 they are produced. So powerful, so irresistible, is the 
 influence which certain reminiscences exercise over the 
 mind, that the various internal operations appear vividly 
 depicted in the peculiar alternations of the external index. 
 As the soul, having receded through the dark postern 
 of elapsed time, rummages amongst the motley lumber 
 of events long proscribed, the eye frequently assumes 
 a vivid lustre, and brightens up into sparkling radiance ; 
 whilst a mantling smile suffuses itself over the entire 
 visage, expressive of some pleasing emotion gliding 
 secretly through the avenues of the heart. Again as 
 the mysterious changes occurrent in the regions of the
 
 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 atmosphere effect a manifest change in the aspect of the 
 barometer, so does the transition from one theme of 
 contemplation to another as perceptibly discover itself 
 by its own legitimate symptoms unconsciously exhibited. 
 Accordingly, by a reflex influence exerted on the soul, the 
 eye that erewhile beamed with apparent delight falls dead 
 and motionless on some fixed object, unadorned by the 
 charms of variety to which it seems riveted, like a felon 
 to his block. The smile of complaisance vanishes like a 
 transient glimpse of the Avinter sun, and gives place to 
 a lowring gloom, a frowning shade, a scowling tempest, 
 that overshadow every feature and usurp dominion 
 over the entire countenance thus indicating an unplea- 
 sant, a heart-chilling reminiscence, from which the being 
 instinctively recoils, as if he realised a resuscitation of 
 those repugnant scenes whose grizzly images, staring 
 through the mist of recollection, disquiet his soul, like 
 the grinning ghosts of the murdered that haunt the 
 blood-stained assassin. The constitution of man involves 
 in it certain inquisitive elements, which, like the turbu- 
 lent waters of the great Atlantic, seldom enjoy pacific 
 slumber, except in a temporary suspension of the watchful 
 senses. "What? or Why? in silent or audible interrogatory, 
 incessantly occupies a prominent status in the sphere 
 of rational existence ; and, though frequently destined 
 to endure the withering chill of disappointment in the 
 solution of the queries, still continues the prying pro- 
 cess with unabated ardour. This searching principle of 
 enquiry, which appeared more peculiarly conspicuous 
 amongst the ancient Athenians than in any other nation 
 under the canopy of heaven, still continues to be more 
 predominant in some characters than in others. And 
 it assumes an infinite variety of shapes, colours, and 
 qualities, according to the various gradations of intellect 
 over which it exerts its influence all, however, deriving
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 5 
 
 from their several pursuits a certain quantum of gratifi- 
 cation or disappointment, in exact proportion to the 
 respective qualities, tendencies, and capacities of the 
 mind. The grovelling wretch, whose supreme delight is 
 to wallow in the filth of slander, exerts all his enquiring 
 faculties in sifting out every flaw in the character of his 
 neighbour, and enjoys a fiendish satisfaction if successful 
 in casting a shade on his moral reputation. The despi- 
 cable eaves-dropper summons into active operation all 
 his physical organs and mental energies in tracing out 
 the private transactions of all within the range of his 
 observation ; and should he fail in ascertaining what 
 was the profit or loss of Mr Dauntless's late speculation, 
 or when he is to be wed to Miss Virtue, and what is 
 her portion, an agonizing sting of disappointment, like 
 a poisoned arrow, festers in his soul and embitters his 
 entire existence for every successive dawn introduces 
 similar teazing topics of fruitless and unprofitable en- 
 quiry. Contrasted with those detestable shadows of 
 humanity, behold the profound theologian, the man of 
 splendid genius and exalted intellect, tracing the origin 
 of evil. He scans the dark labyrinth of vice in all its 
 mazy windings, through the waste of vanished ages up 
 to the garden of Eden. When coming in contact with 
 an insurmountable barrier, he attempts to overcome it by 
 the insoluble question, Why should vice, so hideous in 
 its form, odious in its nature, arid pernicious in its con- 
 sequences, claim its origin in the regions of immaculate 
 purity ? Behold, too, the soaring astronomer, erudite 
 in nature's most exalted lore, and apparently abstracted 
 from the dingy planet he inhabits. Borne on the pinions 
 of science, he ascends the steep ethereal, traverses the 
 pathless glories of the azure firmament, and affines him- 
 self with the celestial orbs, the gorgeous theme of his 
 lofty contemplation ; and having attained to a self-pleas-
 
 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 ing solution of sundry abstruse queries connected with 
 the distances, motions, and magnitudes of those brilliant 
 objects that bestud the vault of heaven, and which, to the 
 bulk of the nether world, still lie mantled in midnight 
 obscurity the inquisitive principle, insatiate in its thirst 
 for discovery, still whispers its resistless insinuations, 
 and goads him on to a climax of enquiry more perplex- 
 ing than ever,w hat sort of beings people those distant 
 worlds, and what are the pursuits in which they engage ? 
 create in the mental region an unfordable river, an im- 
 pervious cloud, an inaccessible mountain. 
 
 This prying propensity, though to a certain extent 
 existing in all, operates very differently on the subjects 
 of its empire, according to their complexion, inherent 
 disposition, and natural temperament. The conquests 
 achieved through its medium, produce in some a thrill- 
 ing sensation of placid delight and silent self-gratulation ; 
 whilst in others they excite a gust of extatic rapture 
 and frantic transport verging on delirium. This pecu- 
 liar result is said to have been exemplified in the case of 
 an ancient mathematician, who maintained an arduous 
 and unsuccessful conflict with a stubborn problem, until 
 he had wasted the fire of his ingenuity, expended 
 the powers of calculation, and exhausted the reason- 
 ing faculties of his soul. At length the solution flashed 
 like a blaze of lightning on his bewildered mind, aroused 
 the dormant energies of his physical system, and pro- 
 duced such a vibration of the locomotive springs, that 
 he rushed into the street, habited in his bed-gown and 
 night-cap, exclaiming, in the voice of frenzy, " I have 
 found it, I have found it ! " The defeats which this 
 propensity is frequently and inevitably destined to 
 endure, likewise exhibit themselves in a variety of co- 
 lours. In some constitutions, they incite to action all the 
 morbid affections that slumber in their latent recesses,
 
 OF THK ISLAND OF MAY. 
 
 which, converging to one centre, form a virulent 
 combination of discordant elements, subversive of all 
 enjoyment ; while the social beings become transformed 
 into figures of aversion whose very aspect seems repul- 
 sive, and all who come in contact with them in the 
 ordinary business of life are subjected to a surly scowl, 
 or haply a bursting tempest of wrath, alike unqualified 
 as unaccountable. To this secret cause may be attributed 
 the inhospitable temper which exists in a considerable 
 proportion of those sulky, unapproachable mortals, every- 
 where prevalent, whose sterile humour converts earth's 
 fairest climes into a wilderness, poisons the springs of 
 human comfort, and mars the beauty of the rational 
 world. In others, possessing lofty, overbearing spirits, 
 a signal defeat of this prying passion is sometimes the 
 grizzly parent of deep mental dejection, which, fostered 
 by a pungent feeling of fancied ignominy, renders the 
 foiled enquirer so utterly regardless even of life itself as 
 to neglect the means of self-preservation ; or, by his own 
 fell deed, to break down the brittle partition that sepa- 
 rates between the present and future. And on this very 
 principle many of the inexplicable suicides occurrent in 
 this enquiring country may be accounted for. For 
 instance, it is reported of an eminent philosopher of 
 antiquity, to whom the undeviating regularity which 
 prevailed in the flux and reflux of the ocean had long 
 formed a subject of profound admiration, and conceiving 
 that such a beautiful effect must proceed from some 
 natural cause which at that period lay wrapt in mystery, 
 he became locked in the trammels of this prying propen- 
 sity; and finding no solution to the query, the defeat so 
 affected his brain as to induce a temporary derangement 
 of the reflective faculties, under which aberration of intel- 
 lect he plunged into the swelling abyss, and perished in 
 the dark subject of his enquiry.
 
 HISTOKICAL SKETCHES 
 
 It may, perhaps, be inferred from this conclusion, that 
 only great scientific minds are liable to this fatal extre- 
 mity. But this inference obviously carries absurdity in 
 its own bosom. For example, the body of every man, 
 whether strong or weak, will sustain only a certain pres- 
 sure according to its respective capabilities, and more 
 cannot be superaddcd without committing an outrage 
 on the physical constitution, and deranging the consti- 
 tuents of the marvellous structure ; and as disastrous 
 consequences are the evident result of imposing on the 
 corporeal edifice a degree of pressure to which its powers 
 of resistance are inadequate, a similar position in respect 
 to the intellectual machinery is equally tenable. Minds, 
 like bodies, are variously constructed, and exhibit an 
 infinite diversity of powers and capacities, tendencies, 
 curves, and inclinations. And as one body, delicate and 
 fragile in its construction, may be as much oppressed 
 beneath a weight of ten stones avoirdupois as another 
 under double the burden so a weak, puerile mind, only 
 fitted to grapple with trivial enquiries, may be as much 
 bewildered and perplexed by endeavouring to ascertain 
 the cause why the rudder produces such a mighty influ- 
 ence on the motion of a ponderous vessel of such vast 
 dimensions, as another, possessed of more gigantic 
 powers, may be in attempting to account for the varia- 
 tion of the mariner's compass. And both are equally 
 liable to soured existence or fatal disaster, resulting 
 from hapless failure and frustration of purpose, provided 
 the inquisitive principle be sufficiently powerful and 
 equal in both, which is quite a possible case ; for it is 
 sometimes known to wield its curious sceptre with as 
 absolute sway over the silly, contemptible eavesdropper, 
 as over the man of science, distinguished for eminent 
 talents and profound research. 
 
 In the complex machinery of the mind there may be
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. ( J 
 
 certain moving principles of minor impulse, which, hav- 
 ing attained the utmost goal of their purpose, may be- 
 come sated with indulgence, and lapse into a dormant 
 state of suspended action. But this peculiar passion 
 seems to command a sort of indefinite empire ; and the 
 accomplishment of every successive aim merely produces 
 a keener incentive to another, as wave chases wave in 
 the boundless ocean. And although the result of every 
 successful enquiry is naturally accompanied with a 
 pleasing thrill of complacency that vibrates through all 
 the springs of action, the settled glow of satisfaction 
 is still unfelt. Anon, fresh queries are propounded, 
 disquietudes engendered, discoveries effected ; and still 
 an interminable extent of perplexing research unfolds its 
 mystic portals, that ope the dusky avenue into a mysti- 
 fied arena which the latest descendants of Adam and 
 the last sands of Time will leave unexplored. 
 
 By surveying the present aspect of the surrounding 
 scenery, and minutely observing the obvious signs of 
 vicissitude in certain conspicuous features, rational infer- 
 ences may be drawn, and plausible conclusions adopted, 
 respecting the appearance which such presented at a 
 period long since cancelled in the ocean of oblivion ; and 
 by exercising the powers of retrospective vision, scenes 
 long entombed may be summoned from the slumbers of 
 chaos, arrayed in their original vestments, and presented 
 to the mind in all their pristine colours, as distinctly 
 visible as the present objects which crowd incessantly 
 on the external sense. Past circumstances of appalling 
 terror, events fraught with inevitable ruin, scenes involv- 
 ing inextricable peril, and the inconceivable means by 
 which deliverance was effected, may strike with awe 
 and overwhelming gratitude the contemplative soul. 
 But what exalted prospect, what depth of intuitive 
 wisdom, what vigour of prophetic vision possessed by
 
 10 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 mortals, can penetrate one contracted span into the dark 
 vista of futurity ? Or what prudential foresight, what 
 finite skill or sagacity, can with certainty anticipate the 
 bland smiles, the soft caresses, of fortune ; or avert the 
 bleak frowns and calamitous reverses concealed behind 
 the dense cloud that obscures the morrow ? Tis virtue 
 only, untainted by the one, and unvanquished by the 
 other, that rises superior to both ; and with brows en- 
 circled with the unfading laurel, 
 
 " From her settled orb looks calmly down 
 On life or death, a prison or a crown." 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE terraqueous globe, however vast in magnitude, 
 however mysteriously balanced in the boundless void, 
 or however inconceivable its material construction, may 
 be abstractedly considered but one complete creature. 
 The extensive continents, the fathomless oceans, the 
 flood-girt islands, the impetuous rivers, the slumbering 
 lakes, and the towering mountains, being merely the 
 constituent parts of one stupendous edifice, which, being 
 marvellously hinged and connected by enduring sinews, 
 and curiously pervaded by internal veins, canals, and 
 arteries, all its components continually depend upon, 
 nourish, and supply each other so that through the 
 prodigious accumulation of ages rolled upon ages, the 
 entire mass sustains neither increase nor diminution ; 
 and being governed by immutable laws, durable as its 
 Owner's existence, the huge, unwieldy creature still per- 
 forms its revolutions, exhibiting the same exquisite har-
 
 . HE ISLAND OF MAY. 1 1 
 
 niony, the same unaltered symmetry of parts, as when 
 its youthful face first glowed in grateful response to the 
 cheering splendours of the infant sun. It must therefore 
 be inferred that every apparent waste, every visible con- 
 sumption, must be restored by equivalent compensation, 
 otherwise the uniformity of all its members could not 
 long be maintained. Land and sea are the two great 
 constituents of the globe with which man is principally 
 concerned. The former is the great storehouse of suste- 
 nance for every species of animate being that moves on 
 its surface ; and the latter the grand reservoir whence 
 every stream, every fountain, derives its existence and 
 perpetual supply. The peaceful, soft-flowing rivulets, 
 that wind their devious way in graceful meanders 
 through the fertile meads, or move remote amid the 
 umbrageous gloom of mazy solitude, glide on in their 
 random course with ceaseless motion, wrapt in deep 
 concealment, and unknown by aught except their stilly 
 murmurs falling on the wakeful ear. The gushing 
 floods that burst from the belching crannies of the 
 heaving mountains, and in headlong torrents and roaring 
 cataracts down the declining steep, rush with dread 
 impetuosity, and in their wayward course, uniting a 
 thousand auxiliaries, augmenting the mountain floods 
 to vast navigable rivers, rolling and tumbling and bury- 
 ing their rapid waters in the bosom of their great parent, 
 the ocean at once their source and confluence. This 
 peculiar system of reciprocity is opined by some (not- 
 withstanding the admitted principle) to be mysteriously 
 conducted by the secret agency of the fore-mentioned 
 veins and arteries that pervade the solid portion of our 
 globe. Through these, the saline water of the great deep 
 maintains an incessant course of circulation ; and being 
 subjected to a filtering and purifying process in its 
 passage through the various strata of the earth, is pro-
 
 12 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 pelled to the surface and discharged by a thousand 
 outlets, changed in nature and quality, and rendered 
 subservient to all the designed purposes of life. Did 
 these innumerable brooks, streams, and mighty rivers, 
 that traverse the explored and unexplored world, derive 
 their supplies from any other independent source, their 
 ceaseless, unremitting flow into the ocean, during thou- 
 sands of lapsed ages, must ere now have magnified 
 that element beyond the limits of the cavity assigned to 
 it. And the bustling haunts of traffic that skirt the 
 ocean and crowd the extensive champaigns, must all 
 have vanished in the desolating deluge; and the gro- 
 tesque piles of antiquity that there survive the ravages 
 of time and the ceaseless vicissitudes of many centuries, 
 must have ceased to attract the admiring gaze of the 
 antiquary. The fertile valleys, laden with the golden 
 treasures of autumn, must all have sunk, and merged 
 in tangly mazes of aquatic weeds. The pleasant 
 meadows, mantled with flowery verdure, and teeming 
 with frisky herds of browsing bestial, must all have 
 been submerged in the swelling flood, and invaded by 
 the finny tribes that sport in the caverns of the deep. 
 The river-skirting forests, the rude plantations of nature, 
 that darken the earth with luxuriant foliage, and wave 
 their towering branches in the winds of heaven, must 
 have all been wrenched from their deep hold of the 
 parent earth, and immersed for ever in the accumulating 
 waters. The foaming billows of the ocean would have 
 been washing the bases of the lofty mountains, and the 
 famishing residue of humanity clinging like grass- 
 hoppers to their sloping sides. But why ? This is all 
 an enchanted picture, a visionary phantom, a baseless 
 day-dream. No such appalling catastrophe, no such 
 fatal devastation, no such disastrous consummation, 
 seem warpt in the destiny of nature. The raving
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 13 
 
 hurricane may extend its desolating ravages ; the rending 
 earthquake, groaning in hollow murmurs, may cngulph 
 its thousands ; the dread volcano may belch its boiling 
 torrents of destructive lava ; or the fantastic waterspout, 
 with ponderous descent, may overwhelm the trembling 
 mariners as they gaze on its aerial freaks. But whether 
 the ocean slumber in placid stillness and unruffled tran- 
 quillity, or rage in thundering majesty and terrific 
 grandeur, she dares not exceed the limits of her empire ; 
 and in all her interchanges witli the solid element, by 
 inflexible decree, the receipts and disbursements are so 
 equally poised, that Time's final revolution will be un- 
 able to quote a fraction of balance. Although the great 
 branches of the ocean, which extend far into the interior 
 of vast tracts of country, affording facilities to commer- 
 cial intercourse, may sometimes appear to inroad the 
 contiguous lands and villages which adorn their banks, 
 the idea entertained by some, that the ocean is extending 
 her territories, is romantic in the extreme ; for as the 
 main body of water maintains an invariable magnitude, 
 these mere dependants, whilst they are advancing on one 
 shore, must be receding from another that is less acces- 
 sible; and with these assumed powers and partial dealings 
 the ocean is by no means cognisant, though liable to cen- 
 sure. These servile branches amply represent the im- 
 perious self-aggrandizing lordlings who in the rational 
 world wear the title of minions, factors, and middle- 
 men, at once the disgrace of their lords, the curse of the 
 soil, and the misery of millions. The Frith of Forth, 
 with which the subsequent narrative is intimately con- 
 nected, is an extensive and highly-important branch of 
 the German Ocean or North Sea. It extends its navi- 
 gable waters far into the interior of a rich, a populous, and 
 fertile district of country, whether as regards those indis- 
 pensable productions that glow and ripen beneath the
 
 IIISTOKICAL SKETCHES 
 
 glorious effulgence of the sun, or the vast hoards of mi- 
 neral wealth that lurk in full maturity in the dark and 
 deep recesses of the earth ; and by means of this great 
 aquatic highway, the commercial circulation that per- 
 vades every vein of the empire receives a quickening and 
 highly-advantageous impulse. It likewise involves, in 
 its latent depths of fathomless concealment, a teeming 
 world of animate existence unscauned by mortal vision. 
 Here the scaly tribes, in ceaseless muster, crowd their le- 
 gions of interminable extent and infinite variety, and per- 
 form their industrial movements, their mystic evolutions, 
 and hostile achievements in the rayless dominions of ob- 
 .-curity. The deep and dusky invisible region which 
 forms the bed of this mighty stream, and swarms with 
 innumerable cold-blooded inhabitants, is by no means a 
 void in creation, or an insignificant blank in the wide pro- 
 vince of human affairs ; but however remotely secluded 
 from the supervision of man, its distinguishing feature* 
 are vividly pourtrayed in the busy whirling circle of na- 
 tional commerce. For when the irritable waters an- 
 hushed into a stilly slumber by the placid serenity of the 
 subtler element, or fanned and flattered into a smiling, 
 undreaded aspect by the soothing whispers of the gentle 
 /ephyr, then does the bosom of the Forth exhibit a thou- 
 sand enterprising souls, expert in the management of the 
 net and line, prosecuting with skill and assiduity their 
 precarious and perilous avocation ; and so fruitful in 
 wealth is this unexplored mine, that, at a moderate esti- 
 mate, treasure amounting to more than sixty thousand 
 pounds is annually extracted from its dreary and be- 
 nighted regions of silent solitude. What must have been 
 the breadth of the Forth when the globe completed its 
 first revolution, or at a more subsequent period, when 
 Scotland again emerged from the sweeping waters of the 
 deluge, were a question of more than difficult solution.
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 15 
 
 But there exists sufficient circumstantial evidence to war- 
 rant the conclusion, that in many localities it has extended 
 far beyond its original limits. And as the result of the 
 most minute survey and accurate calculation, based on a 
 visible ratio, it may be opined that within these eight 
 hundred years it has advanced no less than five furlongs 
 on the solid territory of the county of Fife. Indeed, from 
 the deep-rooted fibres of trees still twined in the rugged 
 cliffs, and the relics of other productions, evidently na- 
 tives of the stable element, it may be stated on no vague 
 conjecture or visionary surmise, that the whole rocky 
 shore, extending in various instances to more than a 
 mile in breadth, is an invaded territory usurped by this 
 arm of the German Ocean, and that this vast acquisi- 
 tion of marine might and irresistible fury, originally slum- 
 bered beneath the woody wilds and unpruned forests 
 that waved in the sighing breeze, groaned in the howling 
 tempest, and supplied to the rambling Caledonu a shel- 
 tered retreat amidst all the vicissitudes of their changeful 
 climate. Those vast aquatic invasions constitute no 
 matter of astonishment to those whose local situation af- 
 fords an opportunity of periodically beholding the dread- 
 fully furious elemental assaults by which they are accom- 
 plished. There are two powerful currents in the German 
 Ocean which flow into this Frith one from the north- 
 east, and another from the south-east and as the ten- 
 dency of the latter is wholly towards the north shore when 
 the wind blows violently in the same direction, the effect 
 produced on the coast is awfully grand and sublime. The 
 broad expanse of the waters that erewhile reposed in 
 pacific stillness, being goaded into rage by the ruthless 
 blast of the frowning heavens, assumes a direful aspect 
 of boisterous commotion. The dread, stupendous billows, 
 excited to a pitch of extreme frenzy by the fierce atmos- 
 pheric influence, roll and heave and tumble in the offing ;
 
 1C HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 till, united in one phalanx of resistless fury, they roar 
 and dash and thunder among the craggy cliffs and quak- 
 ing bulwarks, that reel from top to base. The entire 
 seaward prospect presents one romantic scene of unrivalled 
 tumult, of gorgeous confusion, and uproarious conflict. 
 While in glorious ascent like the dust in the whirlwind, 
 or the snowy flakes tossed on the wings of the tempest, 
 the air-borne foam, hurled in wild, impetuous blast, lashes 
 the casements of the rural cottage that looms in the dis- 
 tance, suffuses the fruitful orchard with a scorching, un- 
 genial dew, and disguises the adjacent hills with a hazy 
 mantle. In all such scenes of extreme elemental excite- 
 ment, wherever the coast is not invulnerably defended by 
 natural or artificial barriers, extensive invasions are ine- 
 vitable. Even the bold rocky precipices that seem to 
 look defiance to every storm, being galled and under- 
 mined by the incessant action of the waves, part connec- 
 tion with the main-land, and, like a ponderous avalanche, 
 fall with astounding crash, imparting a retrograde motion 
 to the billows, which recoil from the attack, and shrink 
 on the instant into the bosom of their parent. These ex- 
 tensive disruptions and violations of the natural barriers 
 are not unfrequently accompanied with a wonderful de- 
 velopment of subterranean deposits, that during the lapse 
 of past centuries may have slumbered in the shades of 
 oblivion ; foundations of houses, human skeletons, do- 
 mestic utensils of peciiliar construction, and coins of vast 
 antiquity, are relentlessly disturbed in their deep recesses 
 of concealment, and again exposed to the ambient light of 
 heaven, and wondering gaze of a distant generation of 
 mortals disclosures eminently calculated to inspire the 
 conjecture, if not the established belief, that these terri- 
 tories, which from time to time are invaded by the ravag- 
 ing billows of the Forth, anciently sustained the rude 
 habitations of industrious humanity, and teemed with
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 17 
 
 rational existence, unwritten in the page of history, and 
 unnamed in the tale of tradition. And those contiguous 
 
 O 
 
 villages, which still survive the menacing fury of thi> 
 waves that dash the casements, deluge the streets, and 
 flood the humble cottages, must, in a space comparatively 
 transient, be likewise subjugated under the sceptre of the 
 ocean, and involved in the overwhelming destruction, 
 were it not for their bulwarks of inflexible defiance. It 
 appears circumstantially evident that this Frith, ever since 
 it rolled in its channel, has, in the manner described, been 
 gradually extending its boundaries on the north by in- 
 vading every accessible point thus creating the nume- 
 rous creeks and juttings that impart to the coast a wild, 
 a rugged, and irregular aspect. Shipwrecks, especially 
 on the north side, are in general dreadfully appalling ; 
 the misguided vessel being instantaneously dashed into a 
 thousand pieces, and the ill-fated crew rarely escape a 
 rapid transit to the invisible world. 
 
 Some very peculiar circumstances, which rather appear 
 visionary, have been traditionally associated with this 
 great arm of the sea, and are not yet totally extinguished 
 on the East Coast of Fife. Previous to the invention of 
 printing, which originated in Holland about the middle 
 of the fifteenth century, the Sacred Scriptures were very 
 partially disseminated in the British dominions, as may 
 be easily conceived ; and, warpt in the shades of intellec- 
 tual night, rational and accountable beings groped their 
 dubious way, guided solely by the deceptive glimmerings 
 that flickered in the mystified nostrums of priestcraft. 
 Superstitions and prejudices, the natural progeny of ignor- 
 ance, swarmed like owls and bats in the benighted regions 
 of the soul ; and man, though lord of the creation, was held 
 in slavish bondage by the grisly productions of his own 
 romantic fancy. The ancient heathen had his catalogue 
 of gods and genii to whom he looked with adoring re-
 
 18 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 vcrence, and bowed in prostrate obedience : so had the 
 intrepid Briton his legion of dread familiars, his ghosts, 
 his fairies, his kelpies, his brownies, and his spunkies, of 
 which the very idea inspired a feeling of repugnance and 
 shuddering horror. The invaluable art of printing hav- 
 ing been introduced into England in that same century 
 by a London merchant, an extensive edition of the Bible 
 was printed by royal authority. A portion of this valu- 
 able treasure was forthwith shipped for the capital of 
 Scotland ; but as this was an engine powerfully subver- 
 sive of the kingdom of darkness, the vessel was destined 
 to encounter many fell attacks, hideous perils, and fear- 
 ful obstacles, ere she had far proceeded on her hapless 
 voyage. On approaching the Key of the Forth, a legion 
 of kelpies (those demons that preside over all rivers) 
 mustered all their malignant energies in dire opposition ; 
 the air and ocean strove in dreadful conflict, whilst the 
 crazy bark rolled and weltered in the furious onset. The 
 infernals perched amongst the bending masts, the creak- 
 ing yards and howling cordage, breathing blue flames in 
 streaming pendants, mingling horror in the midnight 
 gloom ; stupendous fiery columns, resembling the Devil's 
 Hock in the Atlantic Ocean, emerging from the fathom- 
 less abyss of wild disorder, seemed buoyantly floating 
 amid the foaming, boiling convulsions of the deep, heav- 
 ing their blazing summits to the clouds, and illumining 
 the dismal concave of heaven ; whilst the reeling, stumb- 
 ling mariners looked aghast, and, warpt in the toils of a 
 dire dilemma, their British courage and prowess were 
 solved in the crucible of terror and dismay. The page 
 of tradition records not the fate of the vessel, though it 
 affirms her total failure in reaching the place of desti- 
 nation, and the sacred importation was subsequently 
 effected by means of land conveyance. So dreadful was 
 the hue and cry that this circumstance produced in the
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 1 9 
 
 empire, that mariners evinced as much aversion to the em- 
 barkation of Bibles, as they do now of lucifer matches, or 
 other commodities possessing inherent combustion. And 
 even at the present day some are still so deeply imbued 
 with this peculiar superstition, that when they have occa- 
 sion to travel by sea, they are extremely fastidious in the 
 choice of the characters with whom they are to embark. 
 And should they perceive a clergyman on board, they 
 will instantly shrink back, change their purpose, and 
 postpone their journey, merely on account of his sup- 
 posed intimacy with the Bible. 
 
 Since that eventful period, these malignant spirits have 
 frequently manifested themselves in a variety of shapes 
 and colours hideous and appalling to the luckless and un- 
 willing spectator. Nay, even in the nineteenth century, 
 when the shades of night had wrapt the creation in a 
 sombre veil of obscurity, they have occasionally ventured 
 to exhibit themselves on this water under the semblance 
 of towering pyramids of fire, flitting with rapid transit 
 from one bank to the other, infusing into many a be- 
 wildered soul a feeling of profound amazement, awful 
 apprehension, and overwhelming perplexity. Nor will 
 such apparitions cease to exist, till the fulgent beams 
 of science dispel the mist of ignorance that clouds the 
 intellectual horizon, as the gorgeous radiance of the sun 
 disperses the natural haze that floats in the region of the 
 atmosphere. 
 
 " The soul that views effect and cause combined, 
 May scan results, unmoved by sense of fear ; 
 But, ah ! what dread inspires the untutor'd mind 
 To whom effects without their cause appear !"
 
 20 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 AT the entrance of the Forth appears in the distance 
 a little world of rational existence, environed by the 
 restless element, and lashed by the foaming billows of 
 the German Ocean. Whether this detached habitation 
 has derived its name May from the Irish Maigh, 
 signifying a plain or from the ancient British Mai, 
 signifying a place of security has not yet been properly 
 decided. It will be necessary, however, for subsequent 
 purposes, to give a succinct account of what it presently 
 is, and has been, as far as can possibly be acquired either 
 from written record or oral tradition. 
 
 This little island, in lat. 56, 11, 22, N., and long. 2, 
 32, 47, "W., is emphatically the Key of the Forth, as it 
 opes the portal of knowledge to the tempest-beaten wan- 
 derer bewildered in his trackless course, and guides like 
 a pilot to the destined haven. On this isolated speck, 
 based in the depths of the ocean, nature has by no means 
 lavished her magnificent glories or attractive garniture. 
 No aspiring hills exalt their heath- clad summits in com- 
 petition with the liquid mountains that heave around it. 
 No clumps of reverend elms, despoiled by the ravages of 
 time, npshoot their towering tops in the lofty altitudes 
 of space, and, by the pressure of the tempest, shake their 
 hoary branches in the fathomless fields of ether. No 
 time-hallowed groves extend theirshadowy wings, fledged 
 with the verdure of summer, and in sighing whispers 
 divulge the scenes of vice immured within their shades 
 in the priest-ridden ages of antiquity. No picturesque 
 scenery strikes the vision of the flood-borne stranger, to 
 gratify the sense and indulge the fancy. All exhibits a 
 flat, ungainly aspect, with a few straggling cattle brows-
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 21 
 
 ing the scanty herbage. The western extremity of the 
 island constitutes the only romantic feature that nature 
 presents being a huge, rugged, precipitous rock, rising 
 about two hundred and fifty feet in perpendicular ascent, 
 and vocalised, as it were, by the incessant chatter of in- 
 numerable covies of aquatic fowl that nestle in the shelvy 
 cliffs. At this inaccessible point there is such a depth 
 of water on all occasions, that vessels of heavy draught 
 may approach almost to contiguity without peril to life 
 or property. In this detached locality, no magnificent 
 display of ancient architecture excites the retrospective 
 research of the inquisitive antiquary. The only anti- 
 quated object that meets the observation is comprised in 
 the ruins of a monastic hovel, destitute of every attrac- 
 tive feature, save that of its having survived the ravages 
 of four centuries. This, on account of its peculiar noto- 
 riety, will be more particularly adverted to hereafter, 
 according to the receding course of this narrative. How 
 or when this island derived its existence, is a problem 
 still too abstruse for all the blazing stars of science that 
 shed their radiant influence in the nineteenth century ; 
 but the mere contemplation of such a query suggests the 
 negro sailor's definition of the origin and antiquity of 
 the West Indies, namely, after the great ubiquitary 
 spirit had compounded and organised the elementary con- 
 stituents of the great globe, he shook his hand over the 
 sea, and the islands, however small or extensive, are 
 merely the particles of matter that dropt from his fingers. 
 Extravagant and untenable as this position may appear, 
 the visionary notion conceived by the sable African in the 
 savage wilds of benighted barbarism, and the logical 
 hypothesis of the civilized European environed by the halo 
 of literature and the dazzling effulgence of science, are 
 alike suspended on the baseless tower of conjecture, and 
 equally beyond the power of refutation. But although
 
 " HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 the origin and antiquity of the May, like all its isolated 
 kindred that bestud the naked bosom of the deep, lie 
 wrapt in a veil of mysterious uncertainty, suffice it for the 
 present that no dark mantle of obscurity, no nickering 
 phantom of dubiety, hangs over its existence, or in- 
 volves in doubt its eminent utility. As an artificial 
 luminary, it holds a deathless fame in the maritime re- 
 cords of the commercial world, on account of its having 
 for upwards of three centuries diffused a cheering influ- 
 ence through the gloom and horror of midnight. The 
 modern light-disseminating towers constitute the only 
 inviting features displayed in the visage of this circum- 
 scribed domain ; being the progeny of the nineteenth cen- 
 tury, they are skilfully designed and executed in a style 
 of superb elegancebecoming the refined tasteof their scien- 
 tific projector. But though " exceeding magnified," like 
 the gorgeous temple that once gilded the summit of an 
 oriental mountain, all their splendours, all their ornamen- 
 tal grandeur, merge at once in the consideration of their 
 usefulness. When the great fountain of universal light, 
 but for which this world were a dungeon and creation a 
 blank, retires from his diurnal exhibition, and hides his 
 radiant visage behind the bleak mountains or beneath 
 the rolling ocean that bounds the occiduous horizon, he 
 resigns his empire to the shades of night, whilst his 
 beaming minions glimmering from afar hang out their 
 borrowed lustre in the rayless void, and oft expend their 
 energies in vain, then appears the eminent utility of 
 those solitary beacons whose blazing pinnacles extend 
 into the gloomy regions of space and invade the terri- 
 tories of night. When the concave of heaven is wrapt 
 in the dismal horrors of a nocturnal tempest when the 
 German Ocean, with her transverse currents, roused from 
 her peaceful slumbers by the rude assaults of the ethereal 
 powers, heaves her stupendous billows of frenzied com-
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAT. 23 
 
 motion, foaming, lashing, and tumbling in wild disorder 
 and when all the fluctuating elements of nature, goaded 
 into impetuous fury, and when all the celestial minions of 
 the sun, are drowned in the gloomy horrors then those 
 sublunary planets, subservient to human control, uneclipsed 
 by the sable vesture of heaven, and unquenched by the 
 furious descent of the cloud-rending torrents, continue to 
 dispense their radiant fulgence amid the dire convulsions, 
 illuminating the howling tempest, and gilding the gloom 
 that lowers around their transparent walls how cheer- 
 ing, how transporting to the bewildered souls that inhabit 
 yon floating mansion that reels and plunges far hence in 
 the offing ; drenched by the pouring and heaving ele- 
 ments, buffeted by the ruthless oriental blast, and their 
 crazy, creaking bark ready to founder in the tumul- 
 tuous surge ; all perplexed and mystified in the haze of 
 a dubious reckoning, they roll their despairing eyes 
 around the dark circumference ; when, lo ! under the last 
 glimpse of expiring hope, they perceive from the summit 
 of a billow the precious diamonds glittering in the bleak 
 horizon ; their depressed spirits, emerging from the vale 
 of despondency, assume an elevation before unknown ; 
 a glow of fervour pervades their shivering frames, suf- 
 fused with the chill of advancing dissolution. The 
 springs of action, endowed with a fresh athletus, rouse 
 their dorjnant energies to a climax of unwonted exertion ; 
 and the vessel, being cleared of the insinuating water 
 which despair had permitted to accumulate, rides more 
 buoyant on the waves, and progresses more rapidly to 
 the destined haven. So much for the value of the sea- 
 girt luminaries. On this island, only one nautical lumi- 
 nary lifted its conspicuous head previous to the forty- 
 fourth year of the present century, at which period an- 
 other was erected towards the north-east point, and spe- 
 cially designed to prevent the numerous appalling and
 
 24 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 fatal shipwrecks, the dreadful sacrifice of life and pro- 
 perty that in all ages have occurred in such horrifying 
 frequency on that destructive object, the Carr Rock. 
 Various methods have been adopted, in various ages 
 of the world, in order to protect the benighted mariner 
 from approaching this disastrous instrument, this lurking 
 death but all resulted in a total failure of purpose ; and 
 whether this scheme shall prove more efficacious, the fu- 
 ture revolutions of time's unceasing machinery alone can 
 determine. The principal lighthouse is the third erection 
 of that kind since the island first shed a ray of light over 
 the dark waters, and one after another has emerged like 
 the phoenix from the ashes of its predecessor. The pre- 
 sent was preceded by one of far less expensive or magni- 
 ficent construction, which was co-existent with the Scottish 
 Parliament or Convention of Estates. It was erected by 
 legislative enactment ; and as it was considered of incal- 
 culable advantage to the maritime commerce, a tax on 
 all shipping for the maintenance of the light on this oc- 
 casion first derived its existence. This tower survived the 
 vengeful fury of the elements upwards of two centuries, 
 and the light was all the while produced by the burning 
 of coal in a large grate or chaffer established on the sum- 
 mit thereof. Towards the concluding quarter of the 
 eighteenth century, a fatal catastrophe ensued by which 
 the entire effective population of the island was literally 
 exterminated. The regular routine of duties connected 
 with the light having been completed, all retired in per- 
 fect tranquillity to enjoy the balm of repose ; no invi- 
 dious contingency in distant prospect put forth its pre- 
 cursing shadow, inspiring apprehension of danger ; no 
 bleak forebodings of impending fate breathed their in- 
 sidious whispers into the peaceful bosom, blending with 
 shades the unchequered serenity of the soul. The rosy 
 tinge of health bloomed on every visage ; the fervour of
 
 OF THE ISIAND OF MAY. 25 
 
 love, unmarred by the piercing chill of jealousy, glowed 
 in every breast, and unruffled composure, resulting from 
 a conscious discharge of duty, pervaded all the avenues 
 of life, pourtraying on the hopeful mind a felicitous suc- 
 cession of years in bright prospectus, extending far into 
 the dark vista of futurity ; but oft, when borne on the 
 brightest pinions of transport, the succeeding moment is 
 pregnant with the grisly image of death riding in dark 
 seclusion on the whirlwind of destruction ; often when 
 exalted on the loftiest eminence of life, and encompassed 
 with all the dazzling splendours of meridian glory, a rush- 
 ing torrent from the bleak mountains of fate overwhelms 
 the golden edifice, and mingles its aspiring occupant in 
 the ruinous disaster ; and often the very instrument that 
 ingenuity renders subservient to the preservation of thou- 
 sands, becomes converted into an agent of terror, a mes- 
 senger of death, diffusing misery and mourning in the 
 haunts of unsuspecting mortals. Whilst the lofty fire, 
 blazing and flickering in the storm, dispensed a cheering 
 gleam through the darkened sky, directing the mariners to 
 evade therocks andshoals of devastation, it silently insinu- 
 ated its sulphureous fumes into the chamber of its slum- 
 bering governor; the pernicious influence of which, imper- 
 ceptibly pervading the vital organs of the inmates, like the 
 baneful venom of a serpent, suppressed the respiring alter- 
 nations and checked the whole machinery of life ; and the 
 happy family, serenely wrapt in the soft mantle of Mor- 
 pheus, and placidly reclining on the lap of repose, ere long 
 became locked in the icy trammels of death, all uncon- 
 scious of their awful position, till, by a sudden transit, tho 
 boundless, changeless regions of infinitude dawned upon 
 their astonished vision. 
 
 At this period, the entire population of the island was 
 comprehended in one household, and on that account 
 none remained to report the fell catastrophe ; and it was 
 c
 
 26 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 only in consequence of no light appearing at the appointed 
 period that an enquiry was instituted, and the hapless 
 destiny of the colonists ascertained. A vessel having 
 been despatched from the north coast on a reconnoitering 
 expedition, the crew on their arrival perceived nothing 
 but sombre desolation wielding an iron sceptre of abso- 
 lute dominion. No human figure loomed on their excur- 
 sive vision, no sound of human voice saluted their listen- 
 ing ears, and no symptomatic vestige appeared to prove 
 the occupancy of rational beings ; but on forcing ad- 
 mission into the ill-fated domicile, their gazing wonder 
 was heightened into horrifying amazement, when the 
 astounding spectacle obtruded itself on their visual organs. 
 The whole inhabitants of the colony, apparently in the 
 comfortable attitude of repose, lay stiffened in the ruth- 
 less grasp of death, insensible and motionless as the 
 isolated rock they inhabited. Only one helpless infant, 
 the innocent pledge of their love, altogether unconscious 
 of its dreary and doleful situation, survived the disaster, 
 and was still clinging to the cold, ungenial breast of its 
 lifeless mother. Surely this was an object calculated to 
 melt the soul of adamant into tears of sympathy, if solv- 
 able at all in any position, or by any created existence. 
 How this infant resisted the stifling influence of the sul- 
 phureous vapour appears abundantly mysterious, as it 
 cannot well be accounted for on natural principles. Some 
 have alleged that its preservation was effected by a cir- 
 culation of air drawn from the breast of its mother whilst 
 iu the act of sucking. Whether this conjecture be well 
 or ill founded is of very little importance; suffice it to say, 
 that the infant assuredly survived the calamitous event 
 a living monument in the midst of death and attained 
 to the age of maturity. 
 
 Anterior to this fatal occurrence, the island was in- 
 habited by several fishermen, who prosecuted their preca-
 
 CF THK, ISLAND OF MAY. 27 
 
 yicnis calling with considerable success, the fish being found 
 there in greater abundance than on any other part of the 
 Forth. When the elements assumed an aspect so boister- 
 ous as to render their excursions perilous, they frequently 
 resorted to certain quarters of the island where the rock 
 is perpendicular and the water deep, and there took up 
 their angling position in perfect security ; but on every 
 occasion they carefully avoided approaching the South 
 Ness, there being a cave in that locality of considerable 
 extent which was then the reputed residence of a colony 
 of kelpies. Oft in the stilly silence of midnight their 
 ears had been assailed by ungracious sounds proceeding 
 from the dreary cavern. Wafted on the faint, whisper- 
 ing breeze, the uncouth din of infernal carousals, in hol- 
 low echoes and shivering vibrations, proclaimed the hor- 
 rors of the dread locality ; and when the wide creation 
 slumbered in her sable coverlet, a season ever pregnant 
 with terrors to the timid soul, blue streams of fire ascend- 
 ing from the dell diffused a pallid lustre through the ray- 
 less dominions of night, whilst the horrific yell of triumph 
 from the malignant fraternity, and the intermediate 
 shrieks of despair from hopeless captives, rent the dark 
 canopy, and growled in horrid, heart-chilling murmurs 
 amongst the craggy cliffs and frowning precipices. Such 
 were the dismal sounds, fearful sights, and appalling 
 apprehensions, that incessantly harassed the otherwise 
 dauntless minds of fishermen. And as this false terror was 
 ingeniously fostered and promoted by those whom they 
 regarded as superiors, for the furtherance of advantageous 
 purposes, they continued to labour under its teazing, tor- 
 turing influence, throughout the entire duration of their 
 natural existence ; and even in the present age, how 
 many thousands of rational beings pass through the tur- 
 moils of a long, an active, and valuable life, locked in 
 similar fetters of enslaving bondage a yoke more gall-
 
 28 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 ing and oppressive than all the toils, dangers, and priva- 
 tions to which they arc subjected in the visible world, 
 where they are conversant only with effects ; and being 
 in nowise familiar with the fact that every effect in na- 
 ture is merely the result of a natural cause, and the mov - 
 ing principles by which events are governed being wholly 
 enveloped in mystery, every peculiar sight, sound, or cir- 
 cumstance occurring in the material creation, is invari- 
 ably ascribed to infernal agency. Such, indeed, were the 
 romantic conceptions in which the inflexible opinions of 
 the island fishermen were immoveably based, and to which 
 they were riveted with indissoluble tenacity ; but as the 
 natural haze that mystified their mental horizon was in- 
 creased and thickened by subtle design, and the horrors 
 of the cave heightened and augmented, and rendered 
 subservient to the accomplishment of sinister purposes, 
 the plot must now be developed. 
 
 When rayless night o'erspreads the vaulted skies, 
 When tempests rage, and furious oceans foam, 
 
 The sea-borne wight yon nautic lamp descries, 
 That guides him to his long-deserted home. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE lightkeeper, at the period referred to, enjoyed the 
 superlative felicity of being parent and guardian to an 
 only daughter, adorned by a profusion of amiable quali- 
 ties; and amongst other admirable accomplishments, she 
 possessed an heroic intrepidity of soul little inferior to that 
 which animated and distinguished the darling heroine of 
 the Fern Islands. She likewise possessed a sort of stoical 
 equanimity of temper, and a particular suavity of man-
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 29 
 
 tiers, which, by a peculiar diversity in her demeanor, she 
 happily adapted to the various dispositions that inhabited 
 the constituents of every pleasure-party that visited the 
 island ; and by these fascinating qualities, she obtained 
 easy access into the favour and good opinion of all in 
 whose company she occasionally mingled. According to 
 fisher Bill's estimation, " she was nae warld's wonder for 
 beauty, but she was a stately, strappin', wiselike cummer, 
 for a' that ; an' nane o' the pridefu', stickit-up cutties that 
 watna wha's aught them, an' canna see a puir body with- 
 out feezin' up their nose like a fiddle-pin, an' glow'rin' 
 adreich as gif ane were a bogle i' their een. I've nae be- 
 half o' thae gaudy butterflees, sae fu' o' their sel', an' sae 
 dazzled with the glare o' their ain wings, that their een 
 dar'na look on the very yird they were made o', as gif 
 they had fa'en frae the stars ; for nae honest man, wi' ony 
 skair o' smeddim, likes to be luckit doon on whar ho 
 aws naething. But Jeanie had aye mair gumption than 
 kythe sae proud a stem, or carry sic a gust o' wind in her 
 head sail. Whare'er we forgather'd, she was aye sae cud- 
 dant, that nane could tell whether we were sib or friend. 
 An' our weal was ne'er very far frae her heart, for aft she'd 
 say, 'Tack tent, men, an' had yersels skaithless frae thae 
 deils i' the South-Ness, for ye weel ken they mak' meikle 
 ill-faur'd din inony a nicht, an' fill the left wi' their 'fernal 
 gleams as gif the hale clouds were in a lowe.' " 
 
 The wholesome counsel, so generously tendered by the 
 favourite young lady, was no doubt as strictly adhered 
 to as it was gratuitously bestowed, for the dismal pre- 
 possessions which they entertained respecting the malig- 
 nant beings rendered their minds easily accessible by pro- 
 ferred caution to avoid entanglement; and however much 
 good advice has in all ages been lost on minds unpre- 
 pared for its reception, and unsusceptible of appreciating 
 its value, this from the lady made an indelible impres-
 
 SO HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 Mou that remained uncffuced through all the vicissitudes 
 of their laborious life. Perfect confidence in the sin- 
 core friendship of the counsellor is on all occasions the 
 most efficient pioneer for abolishing the formidable ob- 
 structions that frequently prevent the entrance of whole- 
 some admonition. And in the present instance it existed 
 in its fullest extent, exerted its largest influence, and pro- 
 duced its contingent effects in due proportion ; insomuch 
 that whenever a sally of the kelpies was announced by a 
 blazing exhibition of blue flambeaux ascending from the 
 dreadful cavern, every fishermen, however employed, and 
 whether on land or sea, summoned all his physical ener- 
 gies into immediate operation, and, propelled by the re- 
 sistless impulse of terror, sped to his domicile with quak- 
 ing heart, erect hair, and suffused with cold perspiration ; 
 where (having adopted judicious measures to avert incur- 
 sions of the stygian foe) they remained in rayless dark- 
 ness and profound silence till the sun, emerging from the 
 German Ocean, dispersed the solemn shade that eclipsed 
 the beauteous aspect of nature, and chased the nightly 
 apparitions to their darksome caverns of repose, for their 
 peculiar composition has ever been of too delicate a texture 
 to bear the flaming radiance of that glorious luminary. 
 
 Now, the grand secret in which this mysterious lodge- 
 ment of infernal beings was wrapt, appears from the tra- 
 dition to be simply this : An extensive speculator in con- 
 traband commodities, residing on the south-east coast of 
 Fife, having visited the Isle of May, and cast his eyes on 
 the lightkeeper's daughter, became inspired (charitably 
 speaking) with the purest emotions of platonic love ; and 
 finding that he had effectually won the affections of the 
 damsel, and ingratiated himself into the favour of all 
 concerned, he began to perceive, amidst the transporting 
 felicity and ecstatic bliss accruing from love's transport- 
 ing intercourse, that the enchanted cave might be turned
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. ol 
 
 into good account. And having proved the position of 
 her mind, under the sensuous possession of secrets, by 
 whispering into her ear certain ingenious fabrications as 
 if they had involved concerns of vast importance, he 
 soon discovered that however burdensome matters of 
 secrecy were to many of her sex, whose bosoms enjoyed 
 no tranquillity under them, and like a stomach convulsed 
 by weak digestion, felt no relief but from disgorging 
 she possessed a mind perfectly at ease under secrets ap- 
 parently of the highest importance. As secrecy has ever 
 been the smuggler's shibboleth, and the very basis of his 
 prosperity, Jeanie was therefore initiated into the secrets 
 of the contraband traffic. 
 
 It occasionally happened that the north coast was ren- 
 dered entirely inaccessible to the flushing traders, by rea- 
 son of scouting parties of excisemen patrolling the beach. 
 Under such emergencies, the vessels, being warned by 
 signal from the shore, were obliged to maintain a re- 
 spectful offing, being in danger every instant of detection, 
 pursuit, and capture by the coast blockade. Many a 
 hot chase and bloody engagement ensued, for smuggling 
 vessels were powerfully manned and armed ; whilst the 
 crews, inspired by a reckless spirit and furious valour, 
 disdained to yield to any power but the king of terrors. 
 In this hazardous enterprise, which was extensively pur- 
 sued, much life and property were frequently sacrificed. 
 But the cave on the May proved a most advantageous 
 discovery ; for the commodities, being landed there with- 
 out suspicion, were transferred to the coast when con- 
 veniency offered. Hereby the Fife smugglers enjoyed in 
 this little island a series of love and lucre, bliss and benefit 
 richly blended in beautiful harmony. As all the illicit 
 evolutions were performed under the sable vestment of 
 night, ever inspiring a thousand terrors, the foreign 
 tongues and flickering torches gave evident token that
 
 32 HISTORICAL SKETCH K3 
 
 the infernal tenants of the cave were engaged in scenes of 
 horrific revelry, or executing diabolic vengeance on some 
 hapless human victims devoted to destruction ; during 
 which smuggling manoeuvre no interruption was appre- 
 hended from the piscatory inhabitants, who, recking the 
 premonition of an esteemed friend, remained in voluntary 
 durance under every possible security they could devise. 
 Sweet sleep, the restorer of exhausted nature, sealed not 
 their eyes ; but quaking, trembling vigilance engrossed 
 the whole period of repose. With respect to these trans- 
 actions, the lightkeeper behoved to evince tho deepest 
 obscurity of affected ignorance, lest an untoward explo- 
 sion of the secret should involve him in the ruinous con- 
 sequences ; therefore upon Jeanie, the lovely object of 
 the smuggler's admiration, devolved the task of daily 
 visiting the cave, to ascertain if the tubs, kegs, boxes, &c., 
 were all continuing in perfect order, and sustaining no 
 waste by leakage. This was always performed when 
 the sun shone high in the heavens ; for, however cou- 
 rageous, she never ventured on the hazard of a nocturnal 
 entrance, and on every such occasion she carried a con - 
 cealed lantern, which was absolutely indispensable in 
 the dark interior of the cavern. But on one of her perio- 
 dical scrutinies, a circumstance occurred which, though 
 trivial in itself, and in a locality fraught with less dread- 
 ful associations, would have proved harmless ; but in this 
 it was productive of the most deplorable result. The 
 portable light which she carried having been placed in an 
 eligible position while she was rummaging amongst the 
 contraband materials, was by some accident dislodged 
 and extinguished by the fall. A chill of consternation, 
 rapid as the lightning's flash, pervaded all the avenues 
 of life ; a shuddering horror plunged the nervous system 
 into dread, paralysing agitation ; whilst the horrid cata- 
 logue of feigned terrors with which she tortured the fisher-
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 33 
 
 men invaded her trembling soul in all their appalling 
 realities. In dreadful array, she beheld the host of infer- 
 nals, in frightful muster, staring and grinning with hor- 
 rific grimace ; the blazing flames that streamed from their 
 stygian eyes assailed her disordered vision, and glowed 
 upon her cheek ; whilst from their yawning mouths af- 
 frighted fancy drew the hideous yells of triumph that 
 erewhile teemed in her own blood-chilling descriptions. 
 As she rolled her frantic eyes towards the vestibule of 
 the gloomy pandemonium, and beheld the glorious light of 
 heaven shedding its benign influence on all the world be- 
 sides, a lurid glimpse of reason amid suspended conscious- 
 ness suggested means of escape; but, in yielding obedience 
 to the soul-comforting dictate, one of the grizzly demons 
 seized the skirt of her garment, and checked her progress 
 in the first hopeful exertion. Raised to the veriest climax 
 of distraction, she screamed and shrieked under the dis- 
 mal agonies of final despair. 
 
 It most opportunely happened that old fisher Bill was 
 keeping holiday, and cruising about the island, habited 
 in his huge go -ashore jacket, so ample in length that 
 the skirt hung dangling over his loins, shivering and 
 walloping in the wind like an unfurled topsail hove aback. 
 His sturdy limbs, fortified by a pair of rough blue stock- 
 ings with white tops, drawn half thigh up, according to 
 custom, over his inexpressibles, which were buttoned over 
 the knees ; and the entire figure being surmounted with 
 a braw new Kilmarnock night-cap, exhibited a rare 
 specimen of genuine antiquity. Hearing the distracted 
 screams of the immured damsel, whose voice to him was 
 perfectly familiar, he started, and staring aghast, mut- 
 tered out, " I'll wad a groat that smatchit is ta'en wi' 
 the kelpies ;" he instantly backed ship, and made all sail 
 for the lighthouse to acquaint her father, who endea- 
 voured to wave him off by some crafty evasion ; but a
 
 34 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 piteous shriek, wafted on the fleet wings of the wind, 
 having penetrated his ear, he was shut up to the conclu- 
 sion that some accident must have befallen her. Attracted 
 by the melting voice of extreme misery, blended with the 
 hollow murmur of the subterranean echoes, he bounded 
 with fiend-hunted agility towards the locality whence it 
 proceeded, leaving the old weather-beaten nautic all but 
 riveted to the earth, with his eyes expanded in gazing 
 wonder at the man's foolhardy recklessness. At this 
 eventful juncture, whether the captive in the cavern, her 
 father, or old Bill, endured the most poignant twinges of 
 soul, or possessed the darkest region of suspense, it is very 
 difficult to determine ; but the damsel's afflicted parent 
 was first at the ultimatum of his perplexity, having dis- 
 covered his daughter, not clutched in the hands of a devil, 
 or any other infernal agent from the realms of darkness, 
 belching torrents of terrific fire, but clenched in the grasp 
 of a huge parton that had ensconced himself in a cleft of 
 the rock ! From the trammels of this scrambling tenant 
 of the deep, cased in his native armour, she might have 
 promptly extricated herself but for the enslaving panic 
 by which her mental faculties as well as her physical 
 energies were totally invalidated. The well-known 
 idiom of her father's voice, as he entered the cave, crying, 
 " Lassie, what i' the warlt's come o'er ye, or what the 
 de'il way are ye there ?" shot a gliff of surprise and trans- 
 port, mingled with distnist, through the distracted mind 
 of the hapless Jeanie, locked in satanic fetters ; but catch- 
 ing her by the hand to conduct her out of the gloomy 
 solitude, he found his efforts resisted, and heard a scramb- 
 ling noise from some invisible cause. As he groped with 
 his hands, he ascertained the real cause of all this inter- 
 ruption and disquietude, muttering all the while, " The 
 de'il's in't if I dinna see the end o't ;" when, in an instant, 
 the being cased in the scarlet panoply seized hold of one
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 3f> 
 
 of his digits ; panic-struck, he fired off an involuntary 
 ban, and exclaimed, " G'd, the de'il's i'the brute; a parton, 
 faith !" Having smashed the pest with his foot, he ef- 
 fected the release of both himself and his daughter, whom 
 he translated to the regions of day. The visible effect of 
 this disastrous campaign on him, evinced itself in life's 
 crimson fluid trickling from his crab-bit finger ; but on 
 the buxom Jeanie, in consequence of the dismal terror 
 sustained, it exhibited itself in a total aberration of in- 
 tellect. Being incessantly haunted by all the ghastly 
 figures that any disordered imagination could possibly 
 create, the most extreme case of delirium tremens, or 
 Scotch horrors, was never more fertile in the production 
 of devils and dreadful visions than was that of the hapless 
 damsel ; which being supervened by a peculiar species of 
 monomania, ehe became literally converted by the wild 
 fancy into a blazing pyramid of fire. In dreadful array 
 recoiled upon herself all the exaggerated horrors that her 
 deceptive ingenuity invented and exhibited to the minds 
 of the fishermen, wrapt in the toils of superstition ; and 
 the very tortures she inflicted on confiding simplicity, by 
 feeding and fanning the fire of false terror which slum- 
 bered in the region of ignorance, returned with increased 
 virulence into her own bosom. What vast mountains of 
 misery, reared by a prostitution of talents, oft cast their 
 dark shadows over the rational world ; whilst the unsus- 
 pecting credulity of mortals, wearing the image of their 
 -Author, is rendered subservient to the furtherance of illi- 
 cit traffic, and the aggrandisement of grasping ambition. 
 Such a system of fallacious courtesy involves, in its very 
 design, a total prostration of candour, integrity, and every 
 amiable principle on the one hand, and the reckless sub- 
 version of human comfort on the other. Ever since this 
 fair world became the hapless victim of deceptive elo- 
 quence, feigned attachment and fallacious courtesy have
 
 36 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 frequently awakened in the unsuspecting soul the fervent 
 glow of genuine affection. This fact is clearly exempli- 
 fied in the case of the lightkeeper's daughter and the 
 fishermen of the island. Xone ever displayed more heart- 
 melting sympathy on her account than was evinced by 
 those very beings on whose credulity she had so success- 
 fully practised, and who continued to maintain the un- 
 shaken belief that she was dragged into the cavern and 
 mallegroozed by the kelpies. And old Bill, convening 
 his neighbours, harangued them thus " Aweel, men, ye 
 a' ween how muckle doolfie terror we hae lang dreed 
 anent that South Ness an' its unearthly canallie. For 
 my skair, mony's the waukrif nicht I've brookit, thinkin' 
 at ilka gliffin' I'd be kidnappit like a flee in a nettercap's 
 web, an' hurled amang their blue lowes to the benner end 
 o' the vout, ne'er mair to behauld the face o' the sin. An' 
 now I'm an auld man, an' canna thole to be sae tulzied ; 
 an' mair betaiken, I jalouse that thae kelpies that used 
 to rampauge in the dark winna spare to dwang an in- 
 feerie wight like me i' the braid day. Now, tent ye, men, 
 as I rede ye for yer weal, dinna pit yersels i' their gin- 
 tress, an' taurie nae langer here than ye douna help it. 
 Reck ye this frae me, ere I gang to the toun o' Crail, i' 
 the whilk I was born. Ye see what's befa'en that winsome 
 lassie that was aye sae dafiin' wi's, an' sae blyde to see's 
 aye unskaithed by the kelpies. When her daddie pu'd her 
 out o' their net, there was naething left but the wraith o' 
 her, an' my een's ne'er lightit on the face o' her sinsyne. 
 But whene'er I think on't, am like to be smored i' the 
 dool, my heart growls grit, an' I canna keep frae greetin' : 
 for I'm no sae rumstogrous as some ither folk that wadna 
 swerf to see ane's head ta'en aff ; an' she was aye a good 
 
 frien' " 
 
 Here ceased abruptly the simple strains of native elo- 
 quence, the tremulous accents of the man of feeling being
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. O< 
 
 arrested and totally subdued by the stifling influence of 
 profound sorrow. His entire soul displayed itself in his 
 receding eyes, that swam in the saline waters of sym- 
 pathy; whilst his grief-swollen heart, besieged with grisly 
 terror, gave vent to its dread oppression in the melting 
 torrents of affection that rushed in copious effusion over 
 his furrowed cheeks ; the vital course of perspiration be- 
 came broken and hampered by the bursting sighs that 
 swelled and heaved in the bosom of age ; and the entire 
 muscular system, convulsed with the sobbings of grief, 
 evinced the intensity of feeling and depth of emotion 
 that subjugated every faculty of his afflicted soul. Never 
 did a rough and sterile visage surmount a heart so fusible 
 by the acid of human sufferings, and never did a pro- 
 spective index more belie the latent quality it professed 
 to represent. But oft the most precious and most splendid 
 productions of nature inhabit the least inviting localities, 
 and the most delicate, the most delicious fruit presents 
 the least attractive exterior ; so do those amiable qualities 
 that adorn and exalt humanity frequently exist in statues 
 rude and ungainly, nay, even repulsive to the fastidious 
 vision. Never did Demosthenes, with all his oratorical 
 flourishes and pathetic eloquence, more effectually solve 
 his audience into one mass, than did the old fisherman's 
 gushing tears and convulsive sighs reduce his fellows' 
 to his own similitude, and conciliate their diversified 
 sentiments. 
 
 Every passion that actuates the human soul has an 
 extreme height of inflation or depth of depression ; and 
 when this climax is attained, the throne of reason reels 
 and totters to its very base, the whole rational faculties 
 are stented to the utmost pitch of enduring, and the en- 
 tire man, unguarded, staggers on the brink of a precipice. 
 On this very principle, the supervention of one iota of ad- 
 ditional pressure must at once overturn the mental consti-
 
 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 tution, derange the motion of the rational machinery, and 
 convert the internal faculties into one confused mass of 
 discordant elements. But under such extremities, the 
 organs of sense, when unrestrained, operate as safety- 
 valves to the mind, by yielding to the internal pressure, 
 and giving vent to the excess of impulse. Witness, for 
 instance, the wild, foaming vituperations of anger, burst- 
 ing from the mouth like the rending of a thundercloud ; 
 whilst the electric fluid, with dread-inspiring glare, ap- 
 pears flashing from the envenomed eyes excessive joy. 
 discharging itself in frantic ebullitions of mirth; whilst the 
 visage, in all its lineaments, exhibits the vivid portrait 
 of boisterous happiness. The ponderous pressure of over- 
 whelming sorrow relieves itself through the vocal organs 
 in the plaintive voice of wailing, whilst the pallid aspect, 
 mantled with deep dejection, pourtrays the image of rue- 
 ful misery ; and the quaking excitement, induced by 
 appalling terror, operating on thg physical energies, slack- 
 ens the desperate impulse by immediate flight from the 
 grisly object or dreadful locality ; whilst the erect hair, 
 expanded mouth, and staring eyes, evince the internal 
 emotions of the soul. Thus, every passion has its pecu- 
 liar outlet, as an indispensable preventive of disastrous 
 consequences; and by suppressing the action of these 
 alleviating valves during the pressure of increasing im- 
 pulse, you at once induce the awful catastrophe. Reason 
 tumbles from her glorious pinnacle of dominion, and the 
 whole intellectual empire, as if visited by an earthquake, 
 becomes a chaos of wild disorder. So powerful was the 
 terrific influence exercised by these imaginary demons 
 over the untutored minds of the fishermen, that their 
 unanimous resolve to abandon for ever their isolated re- 
 sidence was immediately carried into execution ; and 
 with due deference to the sapient counsel of their senior, 
 they transferred themselves to the royal burgh of Crail.
 
 OF THE ISLAND OK MAY. 
 
 where, during the subsequent portion of their lives, they 
 persevered in their nautical avocation, ever cautious in 
 keeping at a respectful distance from the suspicious 
 locality. The island has never since been inhabited by 
 fishermen, except under the iron sceptre of dire necessity ; 
 that is, when, overtaken in their perilous calling by u 
 casual frenzy in the elements of nature, they have been 
 reluctantly compelled to seek shelter on the luminous 
 isle, and cast themselves on the hospitality of the light- 
 keeper. 
 
 Primary causes do not always exhaust their effective 
 principle in the production of one solitary event, but fre- 
 quently a series of consequences result in close succession, 
 claiming affinity to one progenitor. Accordingly, the re- 
 moval of these terror-exiled islanders put a final period 
 to the illicit practice of smuggling, so successfully ma- 
 naged in that quarter ; for the legendary tales in which 
 the fishermen indulged, with all the seriousness of irre- 
 fragable truth, inspired the responsible parties with appre- 
 hension lest such should engender suspicion in the ex- 
 cise officials, and excite the inquisitive principle to the 
 searching climax an event which in all likelihood would 
 have issued in irretrievable ruin. 
 
 'Midst fancied ills, through every region quakes 
 The gorgeous structure, on imposture raised ; 
 
 \\~hilst undismay'd, no gust of terror skakes 
 Th' ungarnish'd tower, on solid candour based. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE plain unassuming tower, the work of antiquity, 
 being now superseded by the gorgeous edifice of the
 
 40 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 nineteenth century, it may be expedient to notice some 
 remarkable events that accompanied its erection in the 
 dark ages of feudalism. Although this substantial bea- 
 con, which is a creature of the Scottish Legislature, be now 
 eclipsed by its successor, despoiled of its luminous splen- 
 dours, and converted into an asylum for storm-bestead 
 fishermen, it still occupies a conspicuous place in the 
 volume of tradition ; and time may continue her ceaseless 
 revolutions, and future generations may be rolled into 
 the darkness of chaos, but this memorial sculpture will 
 survive the wrecks of change, and shine in legible cha- 
 racters through a fathomless descent of ages nay, when 
 the sculptor's impression shall have been expunged from 
 the tablets of marble, and the monumental towers crum- 
 bled into dust by the corroding elements of nature, even 
 till the final revolution of time shall have produced the 
 last succession of mortals. 
 
 At the period when this conservative tower, the work of 
 long-lost ages, first chequered with its stretching shadow 
 the isolated landscape, displayed its stature in the watery 
 distance, and illumed the black tempest with the flicker- 
 ing light that blazed from its summit, a dense fog over- 
 shadowed the moral horizon of Scotland ; the radiant 
 beams of science but faintly glimmered through the 
 dusky atmosphere, and the tangly fibres of superstition 
 warpt in a maze of error the rational image of heaven ; 
 and thus, immured in a rayless dungeon of intellectual 
 darkness, every peculiar sight that flashed on the visual 
 orbs, every uncouth sound that invaded the auricular 
 organs, inspired the haze-wrapt minds with profound 
 amazement or perplexing disquietude. In this state of 
 bewilderment, few being sufficiently competent to recon- 
 cile effects with their concomitant causes, every disastrous 
 event occurrent in human destiny was invariably ascribed 
 to the malign influence of satanic agency, and in accord-
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 4l 
 
 ance with this belief, numerous were the rational beings 
 whom jealousy stamped with the brand of infernal com- 
 pact, and in pinioned helplessnesss consigned to the fiery 
 ordeal of persecution, and doomed to expiate their alleged 
 guilt in the ruthless bosom of the blazing pile. Many a 
 fair spot of Caledonian territory has acquired an unen- 
 viable and imperishable fame as the unhallowed theatre 
 of those barbarous and soul -harrowing exhibitions, when 
 the excursive eye, in traversing diverse localities, embraces 
 the low sequestered hillocks of infamous celebrity, though 
 mantled with the flowery verdure of summer, and waving 
 their luxuriance in the balmy zephyr. A shrinking, shud- 
 dering sensation of unmingled horror freezes the streams 
 of vitality when such grassy heaps are contemplated as 
 the ancient altars of bewildering superstition altars that 
 sustained those piles of combustion whence ascended the 
 life-devouring flames with awful grandeur into the re- 
 gions of space, shedding a dreadful radiance through the 
 vaulted canopy of heaven ; whilst, blending with the 
 execrations of demon-hearted prejudice, the piercing 
 shrieks of the poor defenceless victims of priestcraft re- 
 veberated with heart-chilling echoes amongst the heath- 
 clad hills and adjacent woodlands. Such appears to have 
 been the hapless destiny of unprotected humanity in that 
 remote, that benighted, fiend-ridden age of superstition, 
 and such the revolting scenes that the vigilant luminaries 
 of heaven were frequently constrained to witness on the 
 plains of Scotia, until the beams of knowledge radiated 
 into the soul, enveloped in all but tangible darkness, 
 dispelling the shades of ignorance, and effacing the deep 
 impressions of barbarity which the untutored mind is ever 
 apt to receive from objects of external contact. Then, 
 as the cheering harbinger of day suffuses with golden 
 tinges the firmamental gloom by which the beauties 
 of nature are wrapt in temporary obscurity, and heralds
 
 42 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 the accession of the infinitely more splendid effulgence 
 of the sun, so the precursing glimpses of knowledge 
 gradually abolished those hideous spectacles of smoking, 
 blazing, heartrending cruelty ; and introduced a species 
 of negative virt\ie, as an earnest of those angelic sym- 
 pathies, those active deeds of benevolence, that shed a 
 halo around the Christian character. 
 
 From these sentiments there may be deduced the 
 sweeping inference, that crime and cruelty are the na- 
 tural concomitants of ignorance ; and that the human 
 soul, destitute of artificial light, is a malignant com- 
 pound of every unamiable quality ; but whatever may 
 have been the condition of uncivilised society, even in 
 the darkest ages of the world, however stained and blot- 
 ted with flagrant and appalling delinquency, the idea 
 that such savage principles are inherent in the nature 
 of man seems too preposterous for admission. This de- 
 grading conception was calculated, in effect, to reduce 
 the noblest work of creation, the image and companion 
 of Deity, to a level in the scale of existence with the 
 bear or the tiger. The forfeiture of man's primeval in- 
 nocence, with the glory and felicity that constituted its 
 legitimate concomitants, can never warrant a conclusion 
 so utterly wretched and deplorable ; for though maimed 
 and shattered and shipwrecked by his disastrous con- 
 tact with the fatal shoals of apostacy, the impress of di- 
 vinity is still legible in the glorious star of reason that 
 shines in the region of the intellect, eclipsing the brightest 
 rays of instinct, and asserting her claim of pre-eminence 
 over the boundless empire of animate being. It is mani- 
 fest, however, that man's pristine act of rebellion intro- 
 duced fell disorder into every department of the intellec- 
 tual system, imparted an evil bias to the affections, and 
 disseminated a bewildering mist over the moral atmos- 
 phere of the soul. And if the monarch of the forest de-
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 43 
 
 rive a curved inclination from the hand of nature, a much 
 smaller application of physical power will prove more 
 effective in deepening the curve and narrowing the seg- 
 ment, than in reducing the natural bend and reversing 
 its tendency. So, likewise, by reason of the constitu- 
 tional bias of the affections, and the veil of moral dark- 
 ness in which the mind is enveloped, the influence of 
 vicious example operates with greater facility upon the 
 heart than the precepts and practice of virtue ; hence 
 crime and cruelty, contracted by external impressions, 
 still exist to an alarming extent in the scientific climes 
 of civilised Europe, as well as in the barbarous regions 
 of New Zealand. But that such principles are by nature 
 incorporated in the constitution of the human soul, seems 
 quite a paradox, and must continue to be so, until those 
 demoniac attributes can be reconciled with that orb of 
 divine light, the implantation of heaven, that alone ex- 
 alts humanity beyond the instinctive creation. The in- 
 offensive simplicity of the Hottentot appears rather to 
 be the natural characteristic of man, uncontaminated by 
 the insidious influence of evil example. To elicit shadows 
 of evidence in favour of this hypothesis, it is unnecessary 
 to traverse the burning sands of Arabia, or scan the deep 
 solitude that reigns in the trackless wilds of Africa, or to 
 ransack the countless islands that bestud the tranquil 
 bosom of the great Pacific ; for in the remote rural locali- 
 ties and the sequestered glens under the shelter of the Ca- 
 ledonian mountains, humanity may be found free from the 
 specious gloss of art, and almost in its nativity, enjoying 
 in rustic seclusion more genuine felicity than the gorgeous 
 glare of artificial refinement, or the studied pageantry of 
 pomp and etiquette, can confer on the luxurious inmates of 
 a princely palace. Here exist the living images of in- 
 dustry, unblasted by the withering scowl of envy, and 
 unscorched by the torturing flame of ambition ; ignorant
 
 44 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 of the deceptive blandishments and polite imposture that 
 rear their brazen crest in the social world ; their entire 
 demeanour is characterised by respectful diffidence, un- 
 assuming modesty, and extreme reserve. The youth are 
 more particularly remarkable on account of their native 
 simplicity of manners, retiring bashfulness, and inherent 
 humility of mein, under the influence of which they 
 shrink abashed from the presence of their own species 
 in whom appears any external disparity. But a flower 
 of still lovelier hue and more inviting perfume expands 
 its fragrant blossoms, its life-cheering sweets, amid these 
 apparently uncourteous regions, outrivalling the splendid 
 imitations that lift their ostentatious heads in rich par- 
 terres, that bask in brighter sunshine, and sip the dew of 
 more auspicious heavens ; or, dropping the allegory, these 
 simple, unlettered semi-originals exhibit the very re- 
 verse of crime and cruelty, in the purity of that benevo- 
 lence, the depth of that sympathy, and that unbounded 
 hospitality that in all ages have obtained, even to a pro- 
 verb. This is man under the simple tuition of nature, and 
 uncorrupted by those artificial qualities inspired by vicious 
 example. Quit, now, this scene of contemplation, and by a 
 sudden transit plunge into the crowded bosom of the splen- 
 did city, the dazzling seat of literary refinement; the popu- 
 lous town, fraught with the hum of bustle, the din of in- 
 dustry, and the whirl of commerce ; and the obscure vil- 
 lage, immersed in the gloom of ignorance, overwhelmed 
 in the vortex of sense, and locked in ignominious thral- 
 dom, beneath the grovelling vassalage of animal indul- 
 gence and if these be tenanted by the same species of 
 being, how striking must the contrast appear ! What 
 an infinite variety of character developes itself in these 
 busy haunts, this rational medley, this teeming world of 
 artificial existence, all exhibiting their respective impres- 
 sions derived from external contact, heightened or deep-
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 
 
 enecl, brightened or shaded, by the continuity of pressure. 
 Here the polished gentleman, of stern veracity, and in-- 
 flexible virtue ; the gilded impostor, reflecting the shadow 
 of truth from a fictitious substance ; the ardent philan- 
 thropist, devoting every energy of his soul to promote 
 the general exaltation of humanity ; and the perfidious 
 assassin, with the friendly glow of gratulation in the one 
 hand and the fatal poignard in the other; the student, 
 plunging in the dark recesses of profound lore, or soaring 
 in astronomic heights ; and the grovelling sensualist, wal- 
 lowing in the quagmire of ignorance ; with all the inter- 
 vening gradations of character, from the proud, magnifi- 
 cent palace of luxuriance, to the veriest hovel of wretch- 
 edness. And here crime and cruelty are associated with 
 the human statue polished by art, as well as with the 
 rude block of nature. It is therefore presumed that 
 these are acquired principles, and not inherent in the 
 .constitution of man; otherwise, man is possessed of a 
 more savage nature than the most rapacious of the irra- 
 tional creation, such being rarely known to attack and 
 devour their own species, and as this is incompatible 
 with man's exalted status, the whole barbarity that ob- 
 tains in the rational world must be the fell result of 
 early -instilled prejudice, and a spurious system of moral 
 training, both by precept and example ; whose joint im- 
 pulse, operating on the natural bent of the will, effects a 
 rapid and deplorable progress on the broad declivity. 
 Even the youth of tender age, that in the rural districts 
 shrink from the presence of their superiors, through the 
 indulgence of their guardians, and encouragement in de- 
 testible practices, acquire a brazen impertinence that is 
 altogether insupportable ; and if two or three gentlemen 
 chance to meet in the public thoroughfare, and enter into 
 any commercial discussion, they are promptly attended 
 by a retinue of these ill-disciplined urchins, who ap-
 
 i6 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 proach in close proximity, as if they were members of 
 the same firm, whilst their pert visage exhibits the re- 
 pulsive lineaments of the most audacious impudence; and 
 should a reproof be hazarded by any of the gentlemen, 
 the effrontery displayed by these little eavesdroppers, in 
 vindication of their common right to such a position, is 
 almost incredible. Youth thus trained to violate the 
 laws of common civility, and supersede all deference to 
 superiority, can never after be wrought into good mem- 
 bers of society for, though the sapling may be twisted 
 into any form by judicious management, it is extremely 
 difficult to bend the sturdy oak ; but as the sparkling 
 splendours of the diamond appear to most advantage 
 when environed by the dingy shades of the amethyst, so, 
 were it not for the admixture of vice in the world, virtue 
 would never appear in the brilliancy of its native lustre. 
 Although the transmission and distribution of the 
 human family over the various regions of the globe seems 
 wrapt in a veil of mystery, it will be readily admitted 
 that all, of whatever clime or complexion, have one pater- 
 nal descent ; but that, in consequence of man's primitive 
 revolt, one should possess more inherent depravity than 
 another, is quite an untenable position. Hence the horrid 
 deeds of unrelenting cruelty that have been perpetrated 
 by man in every age of the world, must be the result of 
 acquired principles, and not the necessary consequence of 
 savage ingredients in the natural disposition. It there- 
 fore seems obvious that virtue, with all its amiable con- 
 comitants, is the happy result of a well-regulated system 
 of tuition ; and vice, with all its infernal retinue, flows 
 not from ignorance, but the early infusion of pernicious 
 principles ; and in both cases, habit works these respective 
 qualities into perfect consonance with the feelings and 
 affections. Under the influence of the former, the heart 
 is mollified into a temperature of tender sympathy that
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 47 
 
 extends to every object, whether rational or sensitive; and 
 under that of the latter, the heart becomes hardened into 
 adamant, and " all pity choked with custom of fell deeds." 
 Some enjoy the sanguinary horrors of war, and delight to 
 wade amid the carnage of the battle-field. What but a 
 vitiated taste, resulting from a system of spurious cul- 
 ture, could sustain the heart of a delicate female, while 
 she bore in a vessel the head of a man reeking from the 
 corpse and dripping with gore, as if it had been a beau- 
 tiful garland culled from the richest parterre ? And what 
 but a mind perverted by evil communication could qua- 
 lify the most callous of Adam's descendants to behold 
 with complacency the flaming faggots, and the writhings 
 of the tortured victims involved in the fiery ordeal ? But 
 why ransack the gloomy catalogue of entombed ages, 
 why explore the sullen catacombs, and exhume the fell 
 deeds of depraved antiquity, to exemplify the malignant 
 influence of inveterate habit on the moral sensibilities of 
 man ? Are there not human devils still extant within 
 the precints of the British empire, that manifest them- 
 selves in the studied perfidy and the cold-blooded mas- 
 sacres that frequently stain the annals of modern history ? 
 The rapacious dispositions by which these tangible de- 
 mons are actuated, cannot surely be ascribed to the 
 prime Cause whence the beings themselves derived their 
 existence ; therefore such are not the innate principles of 
 humanity, but acquired by social contamination and con- 
 firmed by habitual practice. 
 
 Innumerable, however, are the melancholy proofs that 
 man, in his gradual descent through the dark vista of 
 lost ages, has miserably degenerated both in his physical, 
 moral, and intellectual constitution ; insomuch that one 
 is apt to assume the indefensible position, that there 
 exists as boundless a variety of the human species as of 
 the inferior animals. Such, indeed, are the baleful effects
 
 48 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 of vicious practices on the noblest terrestrial existence 
 that the world of mankind represents a multifarious 
 creation, rather than a legitimate descent from one com- 
 mon Projenitor. And in consequence of this degenerat- 
 ing process diffusing its deteriorating influence through 
 a protracted series of generations, there now exists in the 
 race a vast phrenological diversity of temperament. This 
 diversity operates so visibly on the formations of the cra- 
 nium, that modern science can actually read in the ex- 
 ternal organs the latent dispositions of the mind ; and 
 these are as varied in nature and quality as the com- 
 plexion, stature, and features, by which one man is dis- 
 tinguished from another. Vigour of intellect, prudential 
 caution, and sympathetic benevolence, are here presumed 
 to be essential ingredients in the composition of the ra- 
 tional nature which survived the forfeiture of innocence, 
 and still display their divine lustre in the wide theatre of 
 darkness and degeneracy, like the silvery orbs in the spa- 
 cious night-wrapt canopy. Whence, then, proceeds that 
 mental disorder so extensively diffused through every 
 grade of society, and in every region of the peopled earth ? 
 Whence those fiery, impetuous spirits, who, inspired with 
 reckless intrepidity, oft peril their all to secure a mere 
 figment, or effect some desperate achievement unworthy 
 of a moment's consideration ? Whence that sordid selfish- 
 ness by which thousands of rational beings are locked up 
 in themselves, all their feelings and sympathies, however 
 acute, being circumscribed within the narrow sphere of 
 their own little hearts ? And whence that dastardly 
 cowardice, that timidity of soul which enslaves the en- 
 tire faculties of the mind, controls the whole corporeal 
 energies, and compels a man to flee at the sound of a 
 shaken leaf, or tremble at his own shadow ? These prin- 
 ciples must all be the result of contraction, either from 
 precept, example, or procreation ; or haply a combination
 
 f F THE ISLAND OF MAY. 49 
 
 of all for who would hazard the blasphemous opinion 
 that such unamiable qualities were ever interwoven with 
 the human composition by the stern decree of Omnipo- 
 tence ? for in exact accordance with the undeviating 
 course of nature, whether in the animal or vegetable em- 
 pire, the thing produced represents the external figure, 
 and involves the essential qualities of the thing from 
 which it derived its existence. Therefore it seems im- 
 possible, that when the projenitors are the subjects of 
 physical debility, vitiated morals, and mental imbecility, 
 the progeny can inherit vigour of body, purity of mind, 
 unclouded reason, sentiment refined. And any occur- 
 rence of this kind must evidently exhibit a natural para- 
 dox ; nay, to entertain any opinion to the contrary were 
 virtually to dissolve the inseparable connection of cause 
 and consequence. Thus, nine-tenths of the crime and 
 cruelty prevalent in the world appears to be the undoubted 
 result of procreation, the vicious propensities of the an- 
 cestors being entailed on the posterity by a statute more 
 inviolable than the obnoxious law of heritage that stains 
 the statute-book of Britain. And without adverting to 
 the ten thousand sources of depravity that diffuse their 
 pestilential influence through every avenue of society, 
 parental affection (one of the most amiable qualities of 
 the human mind) is actually converted into a prolific 
 spring of incalculable misery. This natural feeling being 
 too frequently conducted on false principles, is carried to 
 excess in conceding every species of indulgence to the 
 wayward youth, and thus the primitive symptoms of vice 
 are unchecked ; and the inherent tendency to evil unre- 
 strained, nay, fostered, extends its pernicious dominion 
 over the rational empire, and renders every faculty of the 
 mind subservient to its unhallowed control. From the fatal 
 error of yielding full gratification to every infantile de- 
 sire, arise covetousness, envy, revenge, with all the malig-
 
 50 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 nant passions that in this fair world display their hydra 
 form and grisly aspect, subversive of human happiness. 
 The ruinoiis effects of this distempered affection, this 
 misguided indulgence, often appear conspicuous in the 
 juvenile character where no projenitive vice is apparent, 
 and may, bya retrospective survey of the changeful stage 
 of time, be distinctly traced through various scenes in the 
 drama of life, up to the first unconscious innocent that 
 lolled in the lap of its mother, sprawled on the parent 
 earth, or prattled at the knee of an indulgent father. The 
 primitives of mankind, influenced by a misconception of 
 the celestial dignity of their offspring, he advanced in 
 life under the full indulgence of every appetite, unre- 
 strained in every wayward fancy, and unnurtured by 
 the salutary rod that communicates wisdom ; hence the 
 Tingovernable temper, the impetuous fire of jealousy, 
 whose disastrous result plunged his parents in the dark 
 ocean of sorrow, and entailed despair, misery, and 
 wretchedness on his own subsequent existence. Under 
 all such cases, or false infantile tuition, the evil bent of 
 the mind acquires a strength and enlargement which 
 can never be reduced, except by the interposition of 
 superhuman influence. And, in conclusion, it is again 
 affirmed, that crime and cruelty in rational beings are 
 not natural but acquired principles. 
 
 In infant hearts, -wild weeds spontaneous rise, 
 That urge the pruning-knife with caution wise, 
 Ere rank exuberance mar the rich parterre, 
 And choke the flowers by Heaven implanted there : 
 Depraved example, like pernicious weeds, 
 Diffuses far and wide its baleful seeds ; 
 Whence damning vice its rankling foliage spreads, 
 Immures the eoul in death's impervious shades.
 
 OK THE ISLAND OF MAY. 51 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 HAVING digressed from the subject introduced at the com- 
 mencement of the preceding chapter, 'tis now deemed 
 expedient to resume the topic, and exhibit the tradition 
 in all its peculiar features. The tradition, as previ- 
 viously mooted, refers to certain notable events connected 
 with the erection of the second luminous tower that ever 
 reared its majestic head on the insulated Key of the 
 Forth, and cheered the night- wrapt mariner whilst tossed 
 and buffeted amid the foaming billows and furious ran- 
 cour of the excited elements. In various districts of 
 Scotland, such is the uniform similarity of name and de- 
 signation amongst the inhabitants, that awkward blun- 
 ders, tumultuous squabbles, and disruptions of friendship 
 are the frequent results of this peculiarity. And at the 
 period here referred to, so prevalent was the surname 
 Brown in the burgh of Crail, that wherever three men 
 appeared in one group, two of them invariably wore the 
 title of this sombre hue. And although the distinct pa- 
 rochial situation of the Isle of May has been the subject 
 of much antiquarian controversy, and still continues in- 
 volved in dubiety, the principal intercourse was always 
 with the port of Crail, in the vicinity of which the pro- 
 prietor of the island resided. Accordingly, after the meet- 
 ing of Estates in Edinburgh had resolved on erecting this 
 lighthouse and taxing the maritime commerce, the super- 
 vision of the work was committed to the proprietor; and 
 Andrew Brown, an ingenious architect, whose personal 
 appearance and suavity of manners had peculiarly in- 
 gratiated him into the favour of the Mighties in the dis- 
 trict, was appointed to carry out the plan to its ultima- 
 tum. Andrew, with all his ingenuity, was one of those 
 light flexible substances the buoyancy of whose volatile
 
 52 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 spirit rendered him easy of access, extremely vulnerable 
 to the arrows of Cupid, and of course very apt to fall in 
 love. Consequently he was seldom unfettered by the 
 silken sinews of that pleasing, heart-soothing inter- 
 course ; so susceptible, indeed, was his malleable soul to 
 the soft whispers of the tender passion, and so irresistible 
 were the witching smiles and winning glances of the last 
 and loveliest creature, that hia heart, like a mitred plu- 
 ralist, was not unfrequently the willing captive, the en- 
 tranced occupant, of several fair bosoms at once, like the 
 sapient sovereign that wielded the ancient sceptre of the 
 East. Under this constitutional warmth of feeling and 
 comprehensive affection, he had exchanged hearts with 
 three blotfming nymphs whom he equally loved with un- 
 quenchable ardour. And, strange as it may appear, 
 they were the progeny of three men wearing the identi- 
 cal name of John Brown, entirely free from the ties of 
 consanguinity ; and their daughters, lovely and beloved, 
 respectively answered to the name of Eliza. And, as is 
 still manifested in a variety of instances, the maternal 
 dames seemed extremely desirous of having their lassies 
 admired and sweethearted. Each, of course, cherished the 
 felicitous conception that her lassie was the darling ob- 
 ject of Andrew's undivided affection, till an untoward 
 event, emerging from the rayless entrenchment of des- 
 tiny, plunged into the stream of enjoyment, and ob- 
 structed the smooth-flowing rivulet of prospective bliss. 
 Andrew being now stationed on the little island, uprear- 
 ing the masonic pile destined to illumine the darkness of 
 subsequent ages, rushing waters, heaving billows, yawn- 
 ing perils, separated him from the fair objects of attrac- 
 tion. But yon speck, that sustains him in the midst of 
 the ocean, looms sweet on jthe vision, and the portion of 
 azure that forms his canopy seems the purest region of 
 the heavens. And the lovely trio, sighing under the
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 53 
 
 ordeal of suspended bliss, would frequently render them- 
 selves visible on the 'vantage ground, erect as motionless 
 statues, rolling their glistening eyes over the intervening 
 waters; whilst (unknown to each other) one feeling 
 glowed in their bosoms, and one subject of entrancing 
 contemplation occupied the secret chambers of the heart. 
 But though all hung with equal weight on the tender, 
 the sympathetic cords of Andrew's affection, the parting 
 embrace of the last- visited Eliza left the deepest impres- 
 sion on his fervent, love-bound heart. The rational soul, 
 when glowing under the sweet influence of the tender 
 passion, becomes the hallowed seat of feelings and emo- 
 tions peculiar to itself. A singular principle continues 
 in ceaseless operation, which no power of the fancy, no 
 command of language, can adequately describe. But 
 what intelligent existence tinged with the hue of age 
 what ingenious bosom, endued with the thrilling sensi- 
 bilities of man, that with buoyant step has trod life's 
 flowery path, which glows and basks in the sunshine of 
 youth, can, like a novice in some cunning craft, declare 
 his unacquaintance with the theme ? Nay, do earth's 
 fair climes a human progidy sustain, whose ice-bound 
 bosom, sterile as the regions of the frigid zone, involve a 
 heart so utterly inflexible, so unsusceptible of the stealthy 
 impress of love, as to render its delectable sensations ille- 
 gible on the tablet of his experience sensations which, 
 coming in contact with the mazy turmoils and ravelled 
 perplexities of life, like the touchstone of enchantment, 
 change their nature and quality, and convert them into 
 milder ingredients of a less repulsive character ? Divest- 
 ed of those angellic sympathies, those social affections, 
 those tender attachments that constitute the very zest of 
 rational existence, then what were this world in its 
 fairest clime, its loveliest aspect, its richest abodes? 
 What but a heartless, a comfortless, a dreary solitude a
 
 54 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 scene of anxieties unsoothed, of cares unalleviated, of 
 sorrows unsolaced by the balm of friendship. A globe 
 teeming with life, and yet as inhabited by one desolate 
 being. But why dilate ? Who has not experienced the 
 thrilling transport of lovers' meetings, the ardour of the 
 severing embrace, and the perturbation of absence ? All 
 were amply realized by the fair, the love-bound trio in the 
 burgh of Crail. But in every instance where intervening 
 space, by stern decree, precludes a personal reciprocity of 
 feeling, the very name of the loved, the admired object tran- 
 spiring in conversation, infuses a glow of fervour into the 
 lover's bosom unknown, unfelt by all besides. And when 
 blest with the receipt of a billet, what entrancing ecstacy 
 shivers through the veins ! What transcendant subli- 
 mity of feeling, what a plenitude of delight, what swell- 
 ing emotions exercise a nameless influence on every cord 
 of sympathy, every spring of action, every affection of 
 the soul ! Actuated by a conscious belief that the noise- 
 less ambassador conveys in its snowy bosom the senti- 
 ments of a being in whose breast the heart of the receiver 
 is lodged, assumes the fancied image of the writer, and 
 becomes an object of veneration little inferior to a Brah- 
 min pagoda. And oft, irrespective of aught sublime in- 
 volved in the artful folds of love's silent representative, 
 the fragile element itself is with care caressed, with ardour 
 embraced, and embosomed in the closest vicinity of the 
 heart. Nay, though the blest custodier be wholly incap- 
 able of deciphering a single sentiment expressed in the 
 half-deified scrap, yet, in the pleasing moments of retire- 
 ment and dulcet reflection, it is joyously unfolded and 
 apparently perused with ineffable delight, and to wrench 
 it from the grasp of the happy possessor were tantamount 
 to dislodging the heart from its secret entrenchment. 
 Truly, were the hallowed Record of Celestial Love but half 
 as much revered, did it exert but half the influence over
 
 OF TIIE ISLAND OF MAY. 
 
 the heart, the feelings, the affections of all its participants, 
 how inconceivably grand and glorious were the result ! 
 The horrific demon of human misery, that in a thousand 
 hideous forms stalks with giant stride over the length 
 and breadth of the peopled universe, would dwindle into 
 a mere nonentity, and vanish like a shadow when the 
 substance is removed ; for man, the sole enemy of map, 
 would merge his hostility in the peaceful exercise of un- 
 mingled philanthropy. 
 
 But in this ravelled scene of existence teeming with 
 vicissitudes, every diurnal revolution of the great globe, 
 every successive exhibition of the grand central orb burn- 
 ing in glory, discloses a fraction of futurity, reveals some 
 novel events, and tells a tale unknown. And although 
 the surrounding objects of nature may present to the 
 daily observer no apparent alteration, yet the orient sun 
 never illumes the identical objects that glowed beneath 
 his setting beams, and glittered in the dewy perils of 
 evening. A distinct similarity of features may still en- 
 sure a perfect recognition ; but as there is no suspension 
 in the operations of nature, the total cessation of time's 
 machinery and the abolition of the powers and principles 
 of inherent mutation, must be coeval. Rapt in sweet 
 reflections on the past, and soul-transporting anticipa- 
 tions of the full fruition of their hopes, the three captives 
 of Cupid, warpt in the silken chains of love, having spent 
 fourteen days recounting past endearments, and so many 
 nights blest with the honeyed visions that incessantly 
 watch the lover's pillow, they began to feel the bitter 
 pangs of disappointment, as no tidings had arrived from 
 the island. The first month of summer had now mingled 
 itself with the vanished ages of the past. The early 
 dawn put forth the gorgeous aurora, diffusing spangles of 
 gold, which, merging from the German Ocean in rich 
 magnificence and sublime grandeur, invades the silent
 
 56 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 empire of rayless majesty, dissolves the transient reign of 
 nocturnal gloom, and heralds the triumphant ascent of 
 the flaming monarch of day in all his dazzling radiance. 
 Seldom does he wield his burning sceptre over a fraction 
 of time more pregnant with prospective delight, than the 
 near approach of this day inspired in the East Nook. It 
 w,as indeed a gala to which all peeped through the veil of 
 futurity with joyous contemplation and feelings of bound- 
 ing transport. The couthy gudeman, in the hoary autumn 
 of age, strid over the furrows with renewed vivacity, as 
 he indulged the fond hope of recalling the days of his 
 youth. To the plodding hind, ready to faint with ex- 
 haustion, the anticipation imparted a fresh impetus to his 
 movements, and a more vigorous tone to his rustic notes, 
 as he whistled along to cheer and encourage his weary 
 team. The goadsman, engrossed with the fun that still 
 slumbered in fancy, forgot the names of his cattle, and 
 oft exclaimed " Tyesday" when no such title existed 
 among them. The blooming beauties of the town, just 
 emerging from the seventh round of their precarious 
 teens, with love laughing in their eyes, and the rosy 
 blossom of health mantling their cheeks, soared high on 
 the eagle pinions of imagination ; cherishing with blithe- 
 some heart the mirthful prospect as it glimmered through 
 the haze of the morrow, they drank deep in the necta- 
 rean cup of enjoyment, while yet apart from their lips, 
 birring at their spinning-jennies,* and like the bees on 
 the blossom, drawing their aliment from the towie tuft 
 that heaved its shaggy head before them, and in which 
 they sometimes hid love's blushes ; and while nursing the 
 gala in their bosom, the simple machinery revolved with 
 
 * According to an ancient statistical account of the burgh of 
 Crail, there were at this period upwards of three hundred spinning- 
 wheels in full birring operation within the royalty.
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 57 
 
 accelerated motion, the beams of delight sparkled in their 
 visual organs, an involuntary smile of satisfaction played 
 on their visage, and the gleesome thought oft exceeding 
 the limits of its province, transpired in audible sounds. 
 In short, the bright anticipation of this forthcoming 
 event exerted an irresistible influence over the entire 
 length and breadth of the parisli ; swaying a sceptre of 
 absolute control over the risible faculties, the social affec- 
 tions of every rational grade, from the strutting laird 
 wielding his Indian bamboo surmounted with gold, down 
 to the duddie urchin exhibiting his emblems of poverty 
 fluttering in the breeze ; and again from the sedate ma- 
 tron complexion ally sombre, to the giddy rantipoll chant- 
 ing her artless sonnet as she twirled at the distaff. Now> 
 what mighty cause has produced this internal transport, 
 so extensively diffused ? What brilliant prodigy is the 
 dawn of June destined to develope ? Is the Forth to be 
 swallowed up in the great reservoir, disclosing the latent 
 channels of the dark deep, and revealing the ten thou- 
 sand secrets that lurk in the caverns of the ocean ? Or, 
 according to some wild astrologic prediction, are the 
 flimsy clouds, that float in towering majesty through the 
 lofty regions of ether, to undergo, by some mysterious in- 
 terposition, a thorough change in their components, and 
 shower down on that locality a boundless profusion of 
 gold and silver, gems and pearls, with all the precious 
 jewels that ever sparkled in the light of heaven, amid 
 the dazzling glare of oriental splendour ? And was the 
 sun of this auspicious day to witness the burgh of Crail 
 reject its humble guise, emerge from the vale of obscurity, 
 and assume the fame, the riches, the gorgeous magnifi- 
 cence, that distinguished the capital of Judea, when, based 
 on the golden mountain of prosperity, she shone in the 
 zenith of her glory ? No. That fleet-winged portion 
 of time is destined to exhibit no such astounding events,
 
 58 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 no such miraculous manifestations, no such elemental re- 
 bellion against the immutable laws of antiquated na- 
 ture. The grand forthcoming event, whose precursing 
 shadows had converted every bosom into a paradise of 
 prospective transport, and deluged every heart with ima- 
 ginary bliss, was the novel celebration of a public wed- 
 ding on the Castle green. As a general invitation to the 
 entire parish had been previously tendered by tuck of 
 drum, the affair came pledged with all the boisterous 
 merriment, and innocent pleasantry ever characteristic of 
 the good olden time, even while held in retentis by the 
 dark cloud of futurity. But, like other terrestial en- 
 joyments, it is highly probable that the mere image, 
 reflected by the mirror of anticipation, shone with more 
 vivid lustre than the unveiled reality. The beings who 
 figured most prominent in this drama were two princi- 
 pal domestics in Balcombie Place, who had fully attained 
 the age of discretion, each having nearly tripled a round 
 score of Hansel-Mondays; and although certain fea- 
 tures of eccentricity frequently developed themselves in 
 the train of their deportment, their responsible situation 
 and protracted servitude afford sufficient evidence that 
 fidelity to their master was the governing balance that 
 regulated all their motions. There is amongst depend- 
 ants a sort of spurious fidelity prevalent in the world, 
 and by which many holding places of trust are eminently 
 distinguished. Being possessed of an officious, currying 
 spirit, they ingeniously indulge it under the fallacious 
 hope of ingratiating themselves more into the favour and 
 confidence of their superior, however detrimental to 
 others; whereas such sneaking conduct, in a variety 
 of instances, operates with a reflex influence on the dis- 
 cerning mind of their master, and only accelerates their 
 dismissal, and consequent wretchedness for such decep- 
 tive policy renders them obnoxious in the estimation of
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 59 
 
 all within the limits of their locality, and when their 
 misery, which lingereth not, arrives in all its grizly array, 
 they are doomed to endurance unpitied and unrelieved, 
 Such, however, was not the policy pursued by our hopeful 
 pair, now verging on the blessed confines of matrimonial 
 felicity. A single-hearted principle of candour pervaded 
 all their intercourse with society in every relation of life ; 
 by which they acquired the confidence of their master, 
 and conciliated the warmest affections of the entire dis- 
 trict. And these esteemed minions having resolved, by 
 a most important step in the rugged journey of life, to 
 launch upon an ocean of delights or a sea of troubles (for 
 the bridal bed is not always strewed with roses), the 
 whole influential in the parish were determined that in 
 the consummation of their wishes there should be mat- 
 ter-o'-money, according to the pun of the old parson. 
 
 While the boundless creation of animate existence 
 slumbered in the death-like stillness of repose, the pon- 
 derous spheres, in solemn silence wheeling their ceaseless 
 round, hurled the present into the rayless void that en- 
 gulfs the past, and summoned from the cloud- wrapt vale 
 of futurity the notable day on which hung a thousand 
 minds in panting suspense, and in which were involved 
 a legion of bright expectations. The early warblers, 
 assuming a more exalted elevation in the azure heavens, 
 diffused their simple, soul-stirringmelody in loftier strains 
 of entranced rapture. The sun, emerging from the crys- 
 tal flood, shone forth in all his pristine glory, as newly 
 kindled by the visual glance of Divinity. And as the 
 stretching shadows that chequered the landscape gradu- 
 ally diminished in extent, the lively features of the gala 
 began to exhibit themselves in all their genuine simpli- 
 city, and as unequivocally as ever did the warning prog- 
 nostics of a gathering tempest. The risibly-affected 
 groups, with apparent buoyancy of spirit, greeted each
 
 60 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 other in joyous salutations ; while no admixture of 
 lengthened faces appeared to blend their shades in the 
 brilliant prospect. Exalted on a mouldering turret of 
 the Castle, stooping beneath the pressure of accumulated 
 years, appeared the hymeneal standard,* proudly floating 
 in the gentle zephyr that softly fanned the Forth's pellu- 
 cid stream. This was the grand centre to which all the 
 lines or avenues of the parish converged, the rallying- 
 point whither the thickening crowds of merry mortals 
 resorted apace, arrayed in all the unaffected show, the un- 
 dazzling panoply of rustic elegance characteristic of that 
 simple age, unfettered by the toils of refined etiquette, 
 whilst their smirking features brightly responded to the 
 thrilling vibrations of joyous emotion that shivered on 
 every cord of the soul. The nether gate now presented 
 one of the most brilliant spectacles of animation that even 
 the wild conceptions of romantic fancy could possibly 
 pourtray, the whole area being converted into a dense 
 thicket of laughing, leaping, shouting humanity, an un- 
 shaken picture of real enjoyment ; where, in lively con- 
 trast, appeared the trim blue bonnets intermingled with 
 the threefold toys, all fair as the Alpine snow, just shaken 
 from the frigid bosom of the air-borne cloud ; and the 
 wild strains of the pipe, mellowed by the distance, fell 
 with electric impulse on every nerve, limb, and muscle 
 of the vivid assemblage. For such is the influence of 
 music on the animal spirits, that it rarely fails to exhi- 
 larate the gay, enliven the sedate, and even to kindle a 
 glow of delight in the cold breast of phlegmatic melan- 
 
 * A flag or ensign embellished with many figurative representa- 
 tions, such as hands joined, hearts united, and other fanciful devices, 
 all emblematic of the matrimonial union. This bridal concomitant 
 has almost fallen into total desuetude, except amongst the seafaring 
 population, who still maintain the practice, and preserve it from 
 literally vanishing.
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 01 
 
 choly lowering under a cloud of the dismals. At this 
 period, the Laird of Balcombie had a steward possessed 
 of no ordinary gumption, whose real name was John or 
 Johnny Household. On this accredited minion, devolved 
 the entire management of the whole unwieldy affair ; 
 and an official, invested with similar authority, is still 
 an indispensable requisite at all penny weddings. And 
 whatever may be his proper designation, this transmitted 
 title is conferred upon him in virtue of his office, and to 
 which he promptly answers during the whole continu- 
 eanc of the festival. It may likewise be remarked, in 
 passing, that through the dark ages of the past, down to 
 the present era of light and logic, the aspect of the fir- 
 mament on a nuptial day has ever been carefully ob- 
 served, and solemnly regarded as emblematic of the sub- 
 sequent condition of the parties. Accordingly, the bright 
 eft'ulgence of the sun, blazing amid the unchequered 
 serenity of the heavens, exhibits a perfect picture of un- 
 shaded prosperity, unsoured love, and unmarred felicity, 
 fast ripening for them in the rich luxuriance of the groves 
 of Hymen. The troubled elements, the frowning clouds, 
 the bursting tempest spending its ruthless ire on the 
 trembling objects beneath, rocking the spires, dismant- 
 ling the temples, and with desolating sweep disfiguring 
 the aspect of nature these distinctly emblemize the 
 fell domestic brawls and scenes of matrimonial warfare 
 that too frequently absorb the setting beams of the honey- 
 moon; whilst the lowering, deep-shaded canopy, distilling 
 its exhaled treasures on the thirsty earth, prefigure the 
 rending sorrows, the convulsing grief, the flowing tears 
 that future days are destined to reveal. Thus, through a 
 fathomless series of ages, have these imaginary prognos- 
 tics sped the vista of futurity to the prying eyes of in- 
 quisitive mortals ; and in the humbler spheres of life, the 
 superstitious fancy still holds their typical character,
 
 6'2 HISTOKICAL SKETCHES 
 
 divested of every shade of dubiety. And in consequence 
 of these ominous contingencies, many a blooming bride, 
 inspired with dread apprehensions, spends the nuptial 
 day in pensive heaviness, conjuring up a grizzly host of 
 bleak forebodings, well calculated to envelope in sombre 
 gloom the most complexionally pleasant. Amid the vast 
 variety of peculiar superstitions that are still in lively 
 exercise on this coast, so tenacious, indeed, is the adherence 
 of multitudes to these atmospheric signs and symbols, as 
 forecast shadows of human destiny, that to effect a con- 
 viction of the absurdity of such a belief were no less 
 impracticable than the transference .of the Bass Rock 
 to the middle of the great Atlantic these fooleries, 
 these deformed relics of antiquity, transmitted through 
 the dark postern of benighted ages, however fraught with 
 inconsolable disquietude and dismal preludes. On certain 
 occasions they are the fruitful source of unmingled trans- 
 port, unsullied delight, and joyous anticipations ; and in 
 the present instance, the smiling aspect of nature infused 
 into every interested bosom a brilliant sample of these 
 heart-stirring creations of fancy. The sun, in all his 
 resplendent lustre, waded through the boundless azure 
 unsullied with a cloud ; and the whole elements, pure, 
 placid, and serene, exhibited a lovely picture of slumber- 
 ing innocence, affording a most enviable prospect to those 
 whose matrimonial condition it infallibly presaged. 
 
 Dame Fancy wielding liege control, 
 By magic rears her gilded towers, 
 
 With bounding rapture fills the soul, 
 
 And strews life's rugged path with flowers. 
 
 Or haply by a sombre whim, 
 
 She wraps the soul in dismal shades, 
 
 Earth's regions all with spectres teem, 
 And wide the vale of misery spreads.
 
 Ot THE ISLAND OF MAY. 63 
 
 Amid the realms of changeful life, 
 
 How vast the mystic sphere she fills, 
 Where mortals wade in joy or grief, 
 
 In light or shade as Fancy wills ! 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 WHEN a vacuum occurs in the regions of the atmosphere, 
 the air from all quarters rushes with impetuosity to re- 
 store its equilibrium, then lulls into a peaceful slumber. 
 When the mysterious impetus, communicated to the 
 mighty ocean by the combined influence of the two great 
 luminaries of heaven, has exhausted its power, the swell- 
 ing waters cease to overflow the limits of their empire, 
 and to deluge the territory of man. In like manner, the 
 entire mass of privileged guests, shining in bridal attire, 
 being now assembled in the castle-yard, the bustling 
 throng and dinsome clamour that erewhile wrapt every 
 passage thither, subsided into a transient calm. When 
 the steward had completed his multifarious arrangements, 
 the immense, the splendid, the joyous procession started 
 on a mission of no less importance than that of conducting 
 the bright expectants of bliss to the consummation of 
 their hopes. This was not the work of a moment ; for 
 then, as now, it was decidedly ominous of infelicity 
 should a marriage procession pass the door of an ale-house 
 without saying, " Here's luck !" and quaffing a horn of 
 the landlady's cheer. And the taking of bye-roads has 
 ever been esteemed a fatal error, and as carefully avoided 
 as the cautious mariner shuns the whirling influence of 
 Maelstrum, or the rapids of Niagara. At this remote 
 period of unaffected manners and ungarnished simplicity, 
 ale-houses were not, as in the present age of gilded re-
 
 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 finement and gorgeous rivalry, distinguished by gaudy 
 sign-boards, foiled with gold, and in glaring grandeur 
 throwing out their dazzling reflections on every passing 
 figure of humanity that contemns the proffered regale- 
 ment. The principal feature of distinction, by which 
 these necessary evils existing in small towns, villages, or 
 hamlets were pointed out, consisted of a handsome bundle 
 of dried grass suspended over the door or other conspi- 
 cuous part of the building ; and such antique signals ex- 
 pressive of tavern entertainment continued to exhibit 
 themselves, especially in the country, during the greater 
 part of the eighteenth century, till they were finally abo- 
 lished by the more stringent tenor of the excise regulations. 
 As several of these tufty, uncouth symbols kythed them- 
 selves in the line of the procession, much agreeable de- 
 tention was the unavoidable consequence, so that hours 
 were imperceptibly expunged from the annals of time, 
 being absorbed in the swelling ocean of transport, or 
 wafted hence on the fleet pinions of enjoyment ; whilst 
 the distant hills, the adjacent forests, and the limpid 
 waters, reflecting the azure of heaven, re-echoed afar the 
 unfettered ebullitions of joy. But in this ecstatic mul- 
 titude, whose every eye seems radiating the sunbeams 
 of mirth, and dancing in the splendours of delight, is 
 there no invidious demon of disquietude lurking in any 
 bosom ? Is there no prowling reptile coiling itself in 
 the secret recesses of the heart, infusing its venom into 
 the soul, and poisoning the springs of happiness ? That's 
 hard to be conceived in this jarring world of turbulent 
 passions and incessant vicissitude ; this spacious theatre 
 of varied fiction ; this land of enchantment, teeming with 
 deceptive images, illusive phantoms, and every species of 
 varnished deceit. The bridegroom, however, entranced 
 with the near prospect of being indissolubly united to 
 the object of his ardent affection, to all that is lovely in
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 65 
 
 his eyes throughout the boundless creation, conceals a 
 gangrene in his breast, gnawing the bud of bliss, and 
 checking the expanding blossom of his joy. In those 
 days, the parson who presided over the marriage cere- 
 mony, uniformly claimed it as his alienable privilege to 
 have a smack at the lips of the bride immediately after 
 the performance of his official duties. As the lips of a 
 strange woman drop as an honeycomb, so this regalement 
 was rarely, if ever, omitted by the privileged ecclesiastic. 
 Indeed, some of the ministers of the Church of Scotland, 
 even at the present day, avail themselves of this their 
 peculiar privilege. How this ancient practice, at once 
 absurd, indecent, and unseemly, originated, or obtained 
 a footing in this country, is not certainly known. Albeit, 
 on the present occasion it was the fruitful source of deep 
 inquietude to the bridegroom, who loved his bride with 
 an ardour and vehemency peculiar to a light mind that 
 has passed the meridian of life ; and he recoiled with 
 horror from the harrowing thought, that his exclusive 
 prerogative should be infringed even by the pious lip of 
 a priest ; and having observed him wearing a smile of 
 complacency above his sacerdotal bands, and panting, as 
 he surmised, for the blissful crisis, the whole antipathies 
 of his nature simultaneously mustered in dire rebellion. 
 The harassing emotions of his soul became apparent in 
 the expression of his visage, deeply mantled in a cloud 
 of anxiety. The mingled mass of merry mortals, by 
 whom he was now encircled within the ancient precincts 
 of the royal fort, gazed with intense amazement on the 
 hazy aspect he had recently assumed ; but though con- 
 jectures were as various as the beautiful tints of the iris, 
 still the real cause of his dark looks was to all as mys- 
 terious as the power of enchantment. Even the parson 
 of grey experience, lacking the Urim and Thummim, 
 could by no means divine what gloomy spirit had usurped
 
 G6 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 possession of his breast, and hoisted the dingy ensign of 
 sackcloth on the tower of delectables. In order to un- 
 ravel the mystery, 'twas in vain that he rummaged every 
 cell of his Levitical cranium in which a notion might be 
 conceived, and sounded every peg on which the tattered 
 remnant of a shrewd idea might be suspended ; in vain 
 he ransacked the region of probabilities, and summoned 
 thence a host of fancied casualties that might induce dis- 
 quietude in the very centre of mirth and climax of en- 
 joyment ; still, after all his philosophic enquiries, he 
 passed the saddle over the right donkey, himself being 
 the ostensible cause. This is not at all to be wondered 
 at, for during the lengthened period of his bride-kissing 
 career, no bridegroom, on the loftiest pinnacle of trans- 
 port, ever scrupled to concede the bridal perquisite ; and 
 no blushing bride, blooming in all her charms, ever scun- 
 nered at the clerical smoorick. Oft have the malignant 
 whispers of slander dissolved the sacred bond of friend- 
 ship ; oft severed the closest ties of consanguinity ; oft 
 chilled the glowing fervour of affection, and commuted 
 love's ardent flame into the dying embers of indifference, 
 or the frigid sterility of aversion ; but in the present 
 instance, no symptoms of such infernal agency could pos- 
 sibly be discovered, for the lover clung to his charming 
 bride with the like tenacity as a bur adheres to a periwig, 
 or a lampit to the flinty crag. But as Time, in her cease- 
 less revolutions, is ever and anon shedding a gleam in 
 the vale of obscurity, and thereby expounding mysterious 
 events, unfolding secret purposes, and disclosing strata- 
 gems involved in night-wrapt designs ; so a transient 
 space developed the hidden progenitor of that perplexing 
 gloom, that, like a thundercloud, lowered on the frowning 
 brow of disquietude. The parson having, with all due 
 solemnity, wreathed the gordian knot, and completed the 
 indissoluble union, now seized a huge fancy cake, re-
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. i',7 
 
 sembling an ordinary slab of pavement, and broke it 
 over the bride's head, distributing the shattered fragments 
 at random amongst the surrounding multitude. By this 
 ceremonial act, the mere staff of life is understood to have 
 acquired a peculiar species of mystical virtue, impart- 
 ing to the captives of Cupid, as they slumber on the 
 couch of repose, rich foretastes of enjoyment, indelect- 
 able visions of love's endearing intercourse ; and all 
 being governed by the influence of these superstitious 
 impressions, it may well be conceived that such a scene 
 of scrambling to secure a morsel of the enchanted 
 bread now ensued, as effectually baffles all the power of 
 language to describe. Scores of lads and lasses, jostled, 
 tumbled, and capsized pile on pile, exhibited one motley 
 mass of sprawling, disorganised materials ; whilst heads, 
 legs, and arms appeared mingled, blended, and inter- 
 woven in such glorious confusion, that the most discri- 
 minating eye would have blundered egregiously in any 
 attempt to discover the trunks to whom they naturally 
 belonged. Tremendous was the ordeal of screaming, 
 laughing, and skirling, ere all had again collected their 
 scattered limbs, so as to present distinct figures of rational 
 beings ; and after all this uproar, none complained of 
 bruises save those who were unsuccessful in the campaign, 
 and their most acute endurance lay in the griping 
 twinges produced by the envenomed sting of disappoint- 
 ment. This ceremony of breaking the bread, although 
 it has undergone some trifling alterations as to time and 
 place, still continues in brilliant practice over all the 
 coast. But amid all this uproarious competition for the 
 enchanted bread, pray, where is the parson ? for in no 
 age of the world has the cloth ever been found absent 
 during the division of good things. Just a little in the 
 offing appears his reverence, with pimple-studded pro- 
 boscis, deeply crimsoned with the dye of the vintage,
 
 68 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 methodically folding and unfolding the portals of his 
 mouth, all glowing with the prospect of having them 
 associated with the honeyed lips of the bride. With the 
 assumed freedom and frankness of a gadfly, he shakes 
 hands with the loving couple on the threshold of bliss, 
 and tenders them a rich profusion of delicate wishes, the 
 usual prelude to the smacking benediction. Then clasp- 
 ing one arm around the fair neck of the bride, he 
 
 Ah ! the uncertainty of man's brightest prospects ! A 
 flame of indignation flashed from the eyes of the bride- 
 groom ; his soul rose in a gust of terrific frenzy, and stav- 
 ing him off with as much civility as he possibly could 
 muster, he furiously exclaimed, " Na, faith, an' be ma 
 saul, I winna brook that, gang as it wull. Sae lang's I 
 set a crown to the lift, nae frem'd lips sail stick a kiss on 
 her mow ; tent ye that." This he uttered with force in 
 his words, and stern resolve in his looks. Now trans- 
 pired the prime cause of the mysterious shade that lowered 
 on his countenance, and the leech-like adherence with 
 which he clung to his spouse, bidding defiance to the 
 intervention of any tangible object. The parson looked 
 elf-shot, having never before experienced such a repulse 
 in the exercise of his pastoral duties. The unmarried 
 clapped their hands with vehemence, and made the rocks 
 resound with a shout tremendous ; whilst the married 
 looked aghast, staring with open mouth and expanded 
 eyelids, as they inwardly deplored the untoward event 
 and the reckless conduct of their neighbour, who was 
 dooming his bride to a life of misery ; for it was then 
 sturdily believed that the happiness of every bride lay 
 involved in the pastoral kiss, which was considered all 
 spirit, however grossly conglomerated with flesh. A 
 sturdy Highlander from beyond Culloden was by no 
 means an unconcerned spectator at this eventful crisis. 
 Every muscle of his visage was in motion, his eyes seemed
 
 OF THE ISLAXD OF MAY. G9 
 
 ready to leap from their sockets, every faculty of his body 
 exhibited a restless agitation, and his naturally impetuous 
 temper betrayed the ungovernable swellings of his soul. 
 " The teevil's mercy ! The man's gane out o's head. I'll 
 speak till him. Tonal, what say ye ?" And without wait- 
 ing for answer, " Teevil, man, hae ye tint the hale string 
 o' yer senses ? Ye're surely pewitcht, or perwarlockt, 
 or peteevilt wi' some nae guid ; for yer face is proondin 
 like a nor'- wast moon, an' yer een clowrin' out o' yer head 
 like a heather prowriie frae the yont side o' the plue 
 mountains, or an half-worrit kelpie frae the benner en' 
 i' Fingal's dinsome cave. Ye're nae mair cumption than 
 ye'd peen porn yesterday ; an' ye mean to tamfounder 
 yer ponny wife, an' keep her frae the parson's plessin'. 
 Put gin I were i' his coat, I'd let clam at her owr the 
 knap o' yer thrapple." Here ensued a gaping, gazing, 
 staring suspension of that mirthful excitement, that 
 boisterous merriment, that erewhile peculiarly signalised 
 the occasion. And the layrd, quite in a risible mood, tak- 
 ing advantage of the bridegroom's known eccentricity of 
 manner, encouraged the parson to adopt the Highlander's 
 suggestion, and invade the fort by storm. His reverence, 
 humorously enough, made several rather amusing cir- 
 cuits round the besieged citadel, as if reconnoitering the 
 most tenable part of the garrison, during which the bride- 
 groom, like a resolute sentinel under the penalties of 
 martial law, maintained a most vigilant watch, guarding 
 with special care the accessible point most likely to be 
 attacked, till the athletic native of the hills, again losing 
 all command of his temper, made another sally more ex- 
 travagant than the first, exclaiming, " Prunstane, teevils ! 
 Thunner and lightnin' ! Pe the creat Caletonian head 
 o' Fingal, tho' I sud ket a turk i' ma wame, I'll crip 'im, 
 if he were a cage o' teevils." So saying, he instantly 
 pinioned the bridegroom, who, perceiving it in vain to
 
 70 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 struggle against such fearful odds, in a stifled, half- 
 smothered voice, cried, " Riii, Betty !" Betty, being 
 newly married, promptly obeyed the behest of her lord ; 
 and the parson, indulging the lark, started in pursuit, 
 walloping in his canonicals, and cutting a wonderfully- 
 curious figure, amid the ear-deafening, air-rending, rock- 
 resounding cheers of the leathern-lunged, many-mouthed 
 multitude. The difficulties, the anxieties, and turmoils 
 commonly attendant on great ad ventures, are generally ab- 
 sorbed in their successful issue; so, in the present instance, 
 if aught may be inferred from the satisfied air of the par- 
 son, after having imparted the smacking benediction, 
 exhibiting himself at full length, he cast an affable glance 
 of exulting triumph on the bridegroom, whose prompt 
 response was couched in a wide-mouthed, self-complacent 
 "Ha, ha, ha!" evidently implying that there was a whaup 
 i' the raip, and all are not game that run in skins of fur. 
 In every age of the world, and in every peopled re- 
 gion under the bright canopy of heaven, beings have 
 always existed in absolute thraldom to the governing 
 influence of peculiar foibles, and in catering for the main- 
 tenance of these favourite creatures of fancy, every organ 
 of the body and every faculty of the soul are frequently 
 exerted to the last pitch of their energies ; nay, severe 
 privations are endured without a murmur, and the legi- 
 timate comforts of life are unsparingly sacrificed for their 
 sake. Now, at this period there resided in the burgh of 
 Crail a buxom, gawsie -faced wench, reported of easy 
 virtue ; she possessed an unconquerable predilection to 
 appear at all public weddings to which she was invited, 
 in a costume identical in hue, fashion, and texture with 
 that of the bride ; and when Betty fled at the behest of 
 her husband, she plunged into the moving thicket of the 
 bustling crowd, whilst the bridegroom followed her with 
 the eyes of an eagle. Here, amid this dense moving mul-
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 7 1 
 
 titude, it was almost as impossible to single out a particu- 
 lar individual as to pick up a lost needle in the heart of a 
 hay-rick. The parson, with the bridal benediction ready to 
 drop from his glowing lips, likewise plunged into the mazy 
 jungle of laughinghumanityin pursuit of the fugitive bride 
 and coming hap-hazard in contact with the odd wench of 
 easy virtue, and perceiving in her the precise image of his 
 game, he at once threw his grapplings around her, and 
 by conferring three hearty smacks on her ruby lips, im- 
 parted a triple blessing. And as he retired, she exclaimed 
 aloud, " Thank ye, sir ; there's nae sayin' at ony time 
 whar a blessin' may light." This operated on the bride- 
 groom like a shock of electricity, and produced a tre- 
 mendous explosion of his risible magazine just as he was 
 freed from the trammels of the Highlander ; and the par- 
 son, not aware of his mistake, looked unutterable amaze- 
 ment ; while the yawning laughter became so loud and 
 general, that a bushel of marbles might, with a trifling 
 aim, have been popped down the expanded throats of the 
 vast assembly. Thus was one bride, at this early period, 
 utterly deprived of the priest's soul-comforting, lip- 
 smacking benediction. But whatever misery oversha- 
 dowed her subsequent life in consequence, tradition af- 
 fords no information on the subject, and thus was severed 
 the thread of the minister's bride- kissing career, though 
 he enjoyed the privilege of lips as rosy and as well ver- 
 sant in the ancient scene. 
 
 But recurring to the desperate competition for dream- 
 inducing fragments of the enchanted bread before men- 
 tioned, it may be remarked, that the architect's three 
 Elizas, all warpt in the toils of love, particularly signal- 
 ised themselves in the struggle that they might enjoy the 
 nocturnal benefit of transporting visions. This fair triplet 
 of blooming virgins, as introduced in a preceding chapter, 
 were all animated by the same prospects, swayed by the
 
 72 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 same passion, and influenced by the same feelings, all 
 having their affections centred in one and the same ob- 
 ject. But this circumstance was as closely concealed 
 from each other, as the centre of the great globe is from 
 the view of the scrutinizing geologist. And although the 
 persevering activity manifested by them in the tossing, 
 tumbling, smothering contest, would have been worthy 
 of a nobler cause, only one retired from the scene of 
 romantic confusion bearing the palm of victory, and en- 
 joying the solace of an accomplished aim. But how 
 soothing in this world of disappointment is the balm of 
 genuine friendship ! And this mysterious " cement of the 
 soul " had long subsisted betwixt the three lovely ad- 
 mirers of the lighthouse architect. The achieved portio'n 
 of the visionary cake was cautiously divided into three 
 sections, observing carefully that each contained seven 
 scars inflicted by the baker's prickle, without which it 
 was destitute of its mystical virtue. But had the veil 
 that envelopes the human mind been constructed of such 
 transparent materials as to admit the prying glance of a 
 fellow-mortal ; had the transporting aims, the endearing 
 purposes, the fond anticipations that in rapid succession 
 revolved with glowing rapture in the mental cabinet, 
 loomed but faintly on the vision ; had each been able to 
 penetrate into the bosom of the other, and descry her 
 own beloved Andrew snugly ensconsed in the warmest 
 recess of the heart what a violent disruption of every 
 sacred bond, of every tie of friendship, would have in- 
 stantly occurred ; how would the flames of jealousy have 
 burst forth in all their terrific majesty, and blazed with 
 fury unquenchable, as ready to involve the love-bound 
 trio in one dread catastrophe ! For however stubborn 
 the sympathetic ties that constitute the hallowed bond 
 of friendly relation, no copartnership on amicable terms 
 can possibly subsist in the soul-engrossing intercourse of
 
 OF THK ISLAND OF MAY. 73 
 
 love. But deep in the shade of obscurity that enwraps 
 the mystic region where thought revolves ; deeper and 
 more impervious than the horror of tangible darkness 
 that once threw its gloomy mantle over the sacred streams 
 of the Nile ; and thoughts, like veins of precious ore, lie 
 wrapt in secrecy profound until by deeds bewrayed or 
 words revealed therefore, no invidious spirit insinuated 
 itself into the bosom of innocent pleasantry no hapless 
 rupture severed the friendly chain that linked the hearts 
 of the loving trio ; but with hearts all glowing with de- 
 light, and bounding in grateful response to the thrilling 
 vibrations of joy, they gazed with their laughing eyes on 
 the mingled multitude of happy mortals. And since the 
 hapless explosion of Pandora's fell casket, if ever the cares 
 of life were expelled from the bosom of humanity, if ever 
 the evil genius of the world sustained a temporary sus- 
 pension of his malignant functions in any province of his 
 wide domains, 'twas now on the Castle Green, where, 
 soothed by the mellowing influence of the flagon, and 
 enchanted by the spirit-stirring strains of the pipe, the 
 blest fraternity of Scotia's rancy bairns, with light heart 
 and elastic step, skipped and vaulted on the unbending 
 earth, vested in a carpet of verdure, and destined ere long 
 to be the scene of a very different exhibition. 
 
 How nigged soe'er be the journey of life 
 
 To man in tins curse-blighted world, 
 Some glimpses absorb all the dew-drops of grief, 
 
 Whilst care from his bosom is hurled. 
 
 Did the beings who dwell in the planets above 
 
 Look down on this theatre of mirth, 
 A prospect so gay would suffice to disprove 
 
 That care has a footing on earth. 
 
 How bright or how shaded soe'er be the scene, 
 How fraught with delight or with sorrow, 
 
 Man, loathing the present, would peep thro' the screen, 
 And gaze on the scenes of to-morrow. 
 G
 
 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 But dark hangs the veil intercepting his view 
 
 By Wisdom, all's secrecy there : 
 One peep thro' the curtain all hope might subdue, 
 
 And plungo in the depths of despair. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Now the grand majestic orb, arrayed in stupendous glory 
 and majesty sublime, performed his extensive circuit, 
 dispensing a vital influence over the boundless creation. 
 Now gradually retiring behind the bleak mountains, his 
 gorgeous radiance, that erewhile repelled the sight by its 
 dazzling effulgence, becomes extinguished in the shades 
 of evening as they rapidly involve the pellucid sky. This 
 change silently proclaims a jubilee to nature, repose to 
 the exhausted faculties of industrious existence, refresh- 
 ment to the sun-scorched herbage that mantles the earth, 
 cools down the excitement of the merry dance, and winds 
 up the sequel in the visions of slumber. 
 
 Behold, now, the three love-stricken Elizas, as, each 
 secreted in her own chamber of retirement, and each blest 
 in her own entrancing contemplations, their whole soul 
 is transported to the little island, but two leagues apart ; 
 while their corporal faculties, governed by an irresistible 
 impulse, most curiously perform their functions. From 
 her artless bosom, glowing with love and high-soaring 
 hope, each withdraws the morsel of enchanted bread 
 which she had carefully concealed there, as a pearl of 
 inestimable value. The croozie is lighted up in a con- 
 founded deil-chased hurry, that by its faint glimmerings 
 she may be enabled to complete with precision the spell- 
 wrapt components of the dreaming battery. This pe- 
 culiar species of incantation, most successful in procuring
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. I 
 
 the visions of Morpheus, depended on a cautious inser- 
 tion of seven small pins into seven perforations in the 
 fragment inflicted at random when the cake was com- 
 
 O 
 
 pounded ; and these mystical numbers being multiplied 
 together, represented in minutes the exact diurnal lapse of 
 the moon and tide, in which concurrent events the mar- 
 vellous enchantment was wholly involved. It must be 
 observed, however, that with this curious dream-securing 
 mystery there is associated no malignant purpose of witch- 
 craft, no infernal cantrip, no secret invocation of Satanic 
 agency. The entire operation is suggested, prompted, 
 guided, and governed, not by the black demon of re- 
 venge, but by the pure principle of love a plant too 
 sweet, too tender, and delicate to bud or expand in such 
 scorching, such ungenial regions. Well, then, the pin- 
 ning process, however difficult, is performed with patience, 
 skill, and dexterity which the fervour of love could alone 
 inspire ; and, despite the matchless abstraction of mind, 
 ever teeming with blunders, not the least shadow of mis- 
 take discovered itself in the whole procedure. And why ? 
 Because all had a distinct reference to Andrew, the ex- 
 clusive object of all the affections. In every pore of the 
 bread were descried his winning smiles, his killing 
 glances, his sweet, irresistible aspect ; and in every pin 
 therewith connected appeared his attractive image loom- 
 ing on the fanciful visions, large as life itself ; nay, the 
 simple Morphean charm concentrated all the powers of 
 the rational empire, commanded the immediate servitude, 
 and controlled the entire physical energies ; the beauties, 
 the grandeur, the treasure, the dazzling honours of the 
 world are pursued, envied, admired, and courted by the 
 more frigid hearts of the cool, calculating votaries of 
 fame. But on the mind of Eliza, this revered morsel, 
 this square inch of bread, comprehended the whole invit- 
 ing world, the magnum bonum of existence. Therefore,
 
 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 although the blundering hand of error may cast its che- 
 quering, its deforming shades over the wide, diversified 
 aspect of creation, here no mistake could possibly stamp 
 its invidious signet on a work that engaged the whole 
 soul of the artist ; indeed, that it should, folly itself 
 could scarce conceive an idea more preposterous. The 
 pinning process is executed with mathematical exactness, 
 and the little mystic enchanter snugly deposited under- 
 neath the pillow Avhere the head of the hopeful is destined 
 to repose. Now, as no bulwarks are invulnerable, no 
 position untenable by the diving, soaring fancy, let us 
 peep through the visual boundary that conceals the in- 
 ternal secrets of the fair bosom all glowing with love. 
 In this sequestered region is all that remains of nether 
 paradise a soothing balm for the festering wounds of 
 sorrow ; a shady umbrage to soften the scorching winds 
 of anxiety ; a glowing fervour to temper the Borean 
 chill of disappointment. In such an asylum did primi- 
 tive humanity find a solace for his woes under his for- 
 feiture of glory and expulsion from bliss, and may still 
 be pronounced man's purest elysium as he plods amid 
 the scowling elements of time, the rugged crossways of 
 life, the cares and turmoils of sublunary being. Behold ! 
 in this blest seclusion, sits the gay, the insinuating archi- 
 tect, enthroned in all the serene majesty of love, environed 
 with a placid retinue of tender affections, and wielding 
 a gorgeous sceptre of absolute dominion ; and whilst his 
 temples are encircled with a crowning wreath of delicate 
 sympathies, interwoven with all the amiable feelings by 
 Heaven implanted in the female bosom, he basks in a 
 glorious galaxy of endearing smiles, divinely sweet. Such 
 is the exalted, the felicitous position which the lover main- 
 tains in the faithful bosom of his love. But suffice it for 
 the visions of fancy, and let things apparent supersede 
 the invisible. The blooming damsel, elevated on the
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 7 7 
 
 loftiest pinnacle of expectation, is all thrilling with im- 
 patience for the fondly-cherished visionary glimpse of 
 the idol of her affections, and the delectable foretaste of 
 matrimonial delight which the superstitious spell that 
 lurks beneath the pillow is calculated to supply. But 
 as the myrtle-grove is most lavish in its fragrant perfume 
 when the sun veils his radiance beneath the horizon, so 
 the mystic virtues of the spell lie dormant till the facul- 
 ties that pinned it be suspended in sleep, and the throne 
 of reason resigned to the wild imagination. By her own 
 regardless hands, as if impelled by the grizzly grin of a 
 spectre, she is suddenly disrobed of her best attire, which 
 she recklessly throws aside, into what vile corner she heeds 
 not ; for one darling aim absorbs her every thought, as 
 the sun's transcendant glory dazzles for a time the whole 
 planetary host into rayless insignificance. Now appear 
 the emanations of mental absence in a curious catalogue 
 of petty blunders. Just when reclining her head on the 
 pillow, she discovers that the crowning tire, with all its 
 gay profusion of knots and boughs and flaunting vagaries, 
 is still in close connection with her brains. This must 
 be carefully attended to, as it is the parting gift of An- 
 drew. But, on again retiring, she perceives that the shoes 
 and stockings still maintain an unshaken attachment to 
 the polished limbs of their mistress : these being disposed 
 of in a more summary manner, she hides her organs of 
 vision in the curtains of nature, to invite the messenger 
 of Morpheus, laden with nocturnal transports. But a 
 distant well-known voice sounds in her ears, " Lassie, 
 ye hinna blawn out the croozie." This was a most vex- 
 atious interruption, for the balmy shades of slumber were 
 gathering thick around the motionless faculties, the cares 
 of the world were receding from the region of the heart, 
 and the sweet influences of the secret spell begun to dif- 
 fuse themselves through the mysterious channels of the
 
 78 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 imagination, and all was again chased and dispelled as 
 the flimsy vapour vanishes before the glorious effulgence 
 of the blazing sun. The plaguy glimmerings of the in- 
 vidious torch are rapidly extinguished by a furious puff, 
 and again she is muffled in the regions of repose. Again 
 the drowsy god enwraps her dormant energies in his 
 downy mantle, and invests her head with a wreath of 
 poppies; again, in sweet tranquillity, she gently floats 
 away on the soft, oblivious waters of the Lythean stream, 
 whose placid murmur stills the tempests of life ; and 
 again the delusive fancy conducts her through the deep 
 shaded vista to the confines of paradise. But where is 
 paradise beneath the boundless concave of heaven ? The 
 prudent housewife, still wakeful and attentive to all those 
 little offices that may tend te promote comfort or avert 
 domestic calamity, again sends forth a sound from her 
 dormitory like the cry of a city watchman " Lassie, 
 lassie, did ye pit the ' willie mealin" i' the door ?" Half- 
 aroused from her entrancing reverie, all glowing with 
 delightful sensations, like the fabulous immortals in the 
 Tempean vale, and unwilling to admit the mistake, her 
 response is couched in a mere unintelligible hum or semi - 
 groan. No such precaution was observed by the love- 
 tricken Eliza no " willie mealin'," whether animate or 
 inanimate, found a momentary resting-place in any creek 
 or corner of her memory. The door was merely hang- 
 ing on the latch, affording easy access to whatever night- 
 wrapt thief might have wished to indulge his plundering 
 propensities. Howbeit, the duteous daughter, obsequious 
 to the maternal call, starts from the blissful retirement in 
 which she was ensconced, and speeds to correct the hapless 
 omission ; but amid the confused flurry, and the stam- 
 mering stupefaction of broken slumber, she upsets the 
 spinning-wheel with a dinsome crash ; and the tufty tow 
 rock, coming in contact with the blinking embers in the
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 79 
 
 grate, exhibits a sudden gleam like the bright electric 
 flash when, in the zenith of night, it bursts from the 
 sable bosom of the thundercloud. " Lassie, ye're makin' 
 a light, an' a din, as gif ye waur settin' the hoose up 
 what i' the vvarlt are ye doin' ?" " It's naething, mither, 
 but the streamers through the winnock, an' the cat wan- 
 tin' into the aumory. Iss, ye thief." Thus, love always 
 finds a cloak in which to wrap its own eccentric progeny. 
 Having secured the door, and rectified the disordered 
 machinery of the shipwrecked wheel, she stands for a 
 time like a dishevelled statue, with downcast eyes and 
 sedate aspect, as if mustering all her strayed recollection 
 into one focus, in order to ascertain whether aught of her 
 duty yet remained unperformed ; and having arrived at 
 the happy conclusion that all was snug and tight and per- 
 jink as a new-made pouch, she again deposits herself in 
 the soporific vale. Exhausted with the gymnastic sports of 
 the day, sleep hangs heavy on her eyelids, and in a tran- 
 sient space she is once more beyond the pale of the world 
 and all its carping anxieties ; luxuriating in bliss amid 
 the sweet visions of love, she enjoys a transport " too ex- 
 quisite to last." 
 
 Deceptive all earth's joys, howe'er so pure, 
 And certainty itself is insecure. 
 
 Just as she was basking amid the sweets of a delightful 
 arbour, portrayed by the pencil of imagination, and 
 enjoying a rich profusion of Andrew's most endearing 
 smiles and tender embraces, a voice, apparently far re- 
 mote, again invades her ears, and disturbs the harmony of 
 her soul : "Lassie, did ye pit the gatherin' coal i' the fire ?'' 
 Shrouding her culpable neglect in a false affirmative, she 
 stealthily leaves her couch in a half-torpid, half-conscious 
 condition, and slips the coal cautiously into the water- 
 pail, and left it to kindle in due time. So much for the 
 performance of duties by a mere mechanical operation
 
 80 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 ungoverned by the regulating power of the mind. And 
 though one of these damsels lias been selected as a speci- 
 men, strikingly similar was the predicament in which the 
 whole three were placed, and much akin were the blun- 
 ders that characterised their domestic management all 
 being pinioned by one object in the same cords of affec- 
 tion, and controlled by one irresistible impulse. 
 
 Now, another day springs into existence, augmenting 
 the calendar of time ; again, the sun, burning in the 
 eastern skies, heaves his flaming rays athwart the azure 
 deep, lulled into peaceful slumber by the soft embrace of the 
 gentle zephyr ; and industry again resumes the reins, and 
 summons into vital energy all its suspended functions. 
 Behold, the three enamoured damsels just emerging from 
 their dreaming ordeal, scratching their locks, yawning 
 fearfully, and rubbing their drowsy eyes but half-released 
 from the trammels of sleep ! In each fair visage, erewhile 
 mantled in the smiles of love, bland and serene, appear 
 the blank features, the hazy traces of bleak disappoint- 
 ment ; whilst the dusky gloom, diffusing itself over the 
 entire aspect, bewrays the fell forebodings of evil that 
 perplex the soul. Seldom, indeed, do the visions of the 
 night conclude their random sports without a sequel of 
 bewildering confusion ; and how pleasant soever may 
 often be the opening scene of their inspiration, the result 
 is generally fraught with miserable disquietude to all who 
 attach an undue importance to the vague rambles of 
 fancy ; and now, as then, what crowds of happy mortals, 
 entrenched in calm tranquillity, forsake their blest posi- 
 tion by the wild insinuations of the disordered fancy, and 
 speed apace to meet the storms of life that lurk in yonder 
 vale unknown, unheard, unfelt. All human bliss beneath 
 the pale beams of the moon shines brightest in the dis- 
 tance, and looms largest when shadowed forth in pro- 
 spective. How did these fair bosoms heave with the
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 81 
 
 thrilling anticipations of delight while yet remote from 
 fruition ; and now that the period of enjoyment has ar- 
 rived and vanished, how utterly wretched has been the 
 failure, if the external aspect be any criterion of the mind,! 
 How quickly is the bright horizon of life overcast, the 
 lucid star of joy immured in the frowns of a tempest, and 
 the gorgeous constellation of entrancing images obscured 
 and eclipsed by the deep shades of despondence ! Sad 
 and dismal lowers the rueful gloom, that, like a Cyprean 
 wreath, encircles every brow, as though a sweeping whirl- 
 wind, conceived in some extraneous region, wafted to 
 their bosom the blackest leaves of the Sibyl's mystic pro- 
 ductions, invidiously culled by some malignant genius 
 from the volume of human destiny ; and all this over- 
 whelming deluge of miserythat, like an irresistible tor- 
 rent, has swept the fair votaries of love into the gulf of 
 unalleviated gloom, owes its existence to the fell visions 
 of the night. As they slumbered on the pillow of repose, 
 fair and lovely was the scene with which the errant ima- 
 gination oped the marvellous drama ; but reckless of 
 human comfort in the indulgence of the romantic freaks, 
 the transporting outline seemed only intended to allure 
 the fond fancy to gaze on the finished picture, replete 
 with hideous deformity, a spectacle of horrid confusion, 
 interspersed with a grinning profusion of grizzly figures, 
 deep shades of melancholy, wreaths of weeping willow, 
 and every conceivable object of terror blended together 
 in wild disorder and terrific array ; whilst every faculty 
 lay dormant in powerless prostration, and the governing 
 principle of reason suspended from the exercise of her 
 functions, and hurled from her throne of dominion in the 
 rational empire, they beheld in a dream, and, lo ! a white 
 deer came bounding over the placid waters of the Forth, 
 and knelt before them in profound obeisance. Caught in 
 the tangles of consternation, they gazed, wondered, and
 
 82 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 admired, when, lo ! there appeared amid the shining 
 antlers that towered in branches of gold, the lively 
 bright image of the man in whom all their affections cen- 
 tred. Environed with a dazzling halo of splendour, dif- 
 fusing, like the sun's refracted beams, an expansive radi- 
 ance of circumambient glory, and his bland visage suf- 
 fused with love's endearing smiles, he cast a glance of 
 ineffable tenderness on the raptured beirigs, and sped in 
 ecstacy to the blest embrace. Here, on a sudden, the 
 great magician changed the bliss-inspiring scene, and be- 
 hold there issued from a dark and dreary thicket behind 
 them a ghastly detachment of apparitions, wearing the 
 shape of humanity and exhibiting the aspect of furies. 
 Struck with astounding amazement and paralysing terror, 
 they essayed in vain to escape from the blood -freezing 
 prospect. Rivetted to the earth, and borne down be- 
 neath a huge oppressive burden, no effort, however re- 
 solute, was adequate to effect a change of position. But 
 immured in a region of dismay, appalled, aghast, and 
 panting on the verge of suffocation, they moaned and 
 struggled under the stifling pressure of incipient dissolu- 
 tion. Now rang in their ears the hoarse, tremendous 
 voice of a lion, great, furious, and terrible, roaring and 
 rustling in the jungle. The air rent, the earth trembled, 
 the ocean heaved her billows, and the whole animate 
 creation, dread-stricken, quaked with astonishment. A 
 peal of stupendous thunder burst with terrific crash in 
 the lofty regions of the atmosphere, and in awful majesty 
 rolled in howling murmurs round the vast circuit of the 
 black horizon ; the flirting family of aquatic origin that 
 tenant the boundless domains of ether, affrighted, ceased 
 their cheerful anthems, while scream, responsive scream, 
 resounded wildly through the void expanse. Amid these 
 dire convulsions of distracted nature, the grinning furies 
 raved and yelled and stamped, displaying an attitude
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 83 
 
 of hideous menace, till, roused to the very climax of 
 flaming rancour and tempestuous wrath, they sallied forth 
 in dreadful array, wreaking their boisterous ire, their en- 
 venomed rage on the white deer, which, heing instantly 
 swallowed up, evanished without a trace to record its 
 existence. Their fury thus expended and their wrath 
 appeased, the goblins, like an exhausted hurricane, gra- 
 dually lulled into pacific slumber. Now, fancy, in her 
 wild fantastic freaks, suspends the impulse of the charm ; 
 and for a transient space all is still, solemn, and pro- 
 foundly silent as the chambers of the tomb ; then, by 
 another resistless volition, another flourish of her magic 
 rod, she lifts the curtain, and presents another scene to 
 the ungoverned imagination. But such was the horror 
 of unmingled darkness with which the whole theatre was 
 replete, that no distinct figure was visibly reflected on 
 the vision, save the angelic form of Andrew, glimmering 
 faintly through the dusky veil of unchequered night ; but 
 in this solitary object shone all that is lovely in the world, 
 all that the soul desired, and all that the eye pursued in 
 its devious wanderings through the deep tenebrious 
 gloom. Not a sound from aught in creation descended 
 on the ear ; even the twinkling leaves of the poplar 
 dangled in stilly silence on their limber twigs, till, sudden 
 as the bursting thunder rends the bosom of the cloud, 
 roaring with awful grandeur and dread sublimity along 
 the vault of heaven, a wrecking whirlwind from the void 
 ethereal, sweeping with overwhelming fury over the sub- 
 lunary world, the solid darkness fled before it like a 
 feather on the wings of the tempest, disclosing the rugged 
 aspect of nature dishevelled and jumbled in a chaos of 
 unsightly disorder ; and in its rear rolled a stupendous 
 billow of the ocean, lofty, large, and magnificent as the 
 snow-clad Andes. It progressed with unchecked rapidity, 
 carrying vengeance in its bosom, and bidding defiance to
 
 84 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 every impeding obstacle, till it tumbled, and expanded, 
 and deluged the universe. Yes; for Andrew had va- 
 nished in the devastating flood, and, to them, all that 
 remained of the universe seemed a dreary void, a naked 
 waste. As they sighed in their slumbers, and watered 
 the pillow with their tears, behold ! a grizzly spectre 
 emerges from the centre of the earth, black and hideous 
 as the demon of revenge, and, waving a sable ensign, 
 softly advanced to the second and third Eliza, and whis- 
 pered into their ears the accents of fiendish consolation ; 
 whilst the weeping genius of grief, bestrewing with 
 cypress leaves the couch of the first Eliza, in gentle ad- 
 monition, breathed experience sad of earth's deceptive 
 
 bliss. 
 
 "Who builds, on less than an immortal base, 
 Fond as he seems, condemns his joy to death." 
 
 Behold ! in the twinkling of an eye, the drear necropolis, 
 "the land of apparitions," with all its dumb array, its dark 
 oblivion, its grassy hillocks, that mark the fell conse- 
 quence of the forbidden tree, in full prospect opes on their 
 distorted vision. As they surveyed this silent region of 
 terror, ever associated with a host of gloomy apprehen- 
 sions, a rumbling noise, a hollow murmur, ensued in the 
 dark oblivious empire of death. One of those expressive 
 hillocks that ever strike the sensitive mind with re- 
 verential awe suddenly rent asunder in the midst, and 
 cast up the dust of slumbering generations, as Etna 
 heaves its " globes of fire." Nor ceased the mysterious 
 eruption till the cold funereal cell gave birth to a lady in 
 full stature, wrapt and shrouded in pure sepulchral ves- 
 ture. In the distance appeared a sauntering figure re- 
 sembling the parson, wearing a rueful visage, apparently 
 furrowed with disappointment ; around his neck a ser- 
 pent playfully twined its folds, and to his ear applied its 
 mouth in a whispering attitude. And as he seemed
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 85 
 
 lingering by the verge of a frightful precipice, apparently 
 suspended on the tenter-hooks of resolve, a huge dingy 
 shade, tall and terrible, glided swiftly over the swelling 
 tombs, and plunged him headlong into a gulf of foaming 
 disorder that heaved and boiled in the vale beneath. 
 Thence ascended a blazing column of appalling fire, 
 towering with majestic horror into the boundless bosom 
 of space. The sun, abashed by the dread magnificence, 
 veiled his face, and retired from the gaze of mortals. 
 Tossing and tumbling in the centre of the flame, appeared 
 two distinct images of humanity, formed and attired like 
 the last fair work of Heaven ; while the shrieks of agoniz- 
 ing despair resounded through the wilds of ether. This 
 climax of horror awoke the slumbering virgins, dissolved 
 the spell, and restored the exercise of reason. But all 
 immured, warped and entangled in a mazy jungle of per- 
 plexity respecting the import of the marvellous vision, 
 maternal wisdom and experience are secretly consulted 
 as to the interpretation. The first scene in the drama 
 seemed easy of access to the wily matrons who had long 
 studied and expounded the wild productions of fancy. 
 For what else could the white deer imply but a letter 
 speeding on its way from the luminous isle, fraught with 
 delightful intelligence from the pluralist lover ! But as 
 the other features of the vision extended far beyond the 
 grasp of their prophetic attainments, they were happily 
 construed into the common hubbub that usually accom- 
 panies an unexpected marriage. And the blooming 
 damsels, being naturally possessed of a cheerful tempera- 
 ment and peculiar buoyancy of spirit, a small section of 
 time completely effaced the dire impression of horror from 
 their love-inflated minds ; and, resuming their wonted 
 gaiety of disposition, blithsome aspect, and innocent 
 pleasantry, their voices were again heard in the melody of 
 song, beguiling the tedium that invariably clings to a 
 ceaseless round of monotonous industry.
 
 86 HISTOKICAL SKETCHES 
 
 How sweet flow the strains, all unfettered and free, 
 Of the air-borne minstrels that warble above, 
 
 Or the light-hearted swain as he chants o'er the lee, 
 Or the maiden, whose bosom's all glowing with love ! 
 
 Unguided by art, and by rule unconfined, 
 Pure nature's effusions by mode unreprest, 
 
 Like the wandering brook or the hill-fanning wind, 
 Flow the joyous emotions that stir in the breast. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 As the great globe revolves on its axis, every successive 
 revolution introduces a new period of time, and with it 
 a host of events hitherto unknown and unconceived by 
 the most fertile imagination events as diversified in 
 their nature and character as are the beings to whom they 
 occur ; and, whatever be their quality, they never fail, 
 in some quarter, to exert a potent influence over the 
 various passions that exist in the human soul. And it is 
 a fact of no rare occurrence, that the very event by which 
 some are inspired with joyous feelings and transporting 
 emotions of silent bliss, excites in others all the rancour 
 of envenomed rage and fiendish revenge, operates on 
 another class as the subject of wide-mouthed laughter 
 and every symptom of extravagant mirth ; and such pe- 
 culiar qualities are actually associated with the identical 
 event that falls to be narrated in the present chapter. 
 
 Subsequent to the vision of the white deer, the person 
 entrusted with the delivery of letters was every day 
 watched by the fair subjects of Cupid with beating breast 
 and eagle-eyed anxiety. Never in his peregrinations did 
 he cast an unconscious glance towards their several 
 dwellings without producing a gliff that no power of the
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 87 
 
 fancy can adequately describe ; and every time he passed 
 infused a chilling damp of disappointment, that was only- 
 relieved by the cheering, heart-consoling principle of 
 hope, which, on every day's failure, caught instant hold 
 of the morrow a principle incessantly extracting pearls 
 from the dark mine of futurity, and embellishing the 
 prospect of mortals with a train of gilded pictures and 
 fascinating images, in boundless perspective. After a pro- 
 tracted ordeal of teasing, tantalizing suspense, during 
 which every day seemed stretched to a triple extent of 
 its ordinary limits, the blessed, the glorious, the eventful 
 morning dawned in the orient skies with light and joy 
 effulgent. But not to all. The being who enjoys the 
 distinguished prerogative of distributing through the 
 ancient burgh the sealed sentiments of distant hearts, is 
 observed bending his fleet steps and directing his welcome 
 visage towards the humble cottage, the ungarnished 
 haunt of one of the eager expectants. Strutting in all 
 the plenitude of his own self-conceived importance, and 
 fancying himself the sole dispenser of happiness or misery, 
 tranquillity or disquietude, throughout the entire bounds 
 of the ancient locality, he assumes the dignity of an auto- 
 crat; and, having descried Eliza peeping through the case- 
 ment, he exhibits a letter, with an inimitable flourish of 
 his arm and a look of unutterable complacency. How 
 welcome the look of the long-expected visitor ! She 
 speeds to meet him, and receives with a thrill of ecstacy 
 the precious billet. 
 
 At the period here referred to, comparatively few of 
 the commonality were instructed in the valuable art of 
 writing ; and therefore the majority were incompetent to 
 decipher the contents of a written document. Hence, it 
 may be reasonably inferred, that amongst the humble, 
 the industrious classes of the community, paper correspond- 
 ence was by no means extensive nor of frequent occur-
 
 88 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 rence. But whenever any peculiar emergency, any ex- 
 traordinary event, springing out of the common vicissi- 
 tudes of life, rendered such indispensable, the confidential 
 office of secretary, with all its distinguishing honours, 
 profits, and immunities, was invariably conferred on the 
 minister or the dominie. And although neither of these 
 literary officials exacted any pecuniary reward for their 
 services, yet any tangible manifestation of good sense, 
 gratitude, or discretion displayed by the parishioners, in 
 the shape of a plump, well-fledged howtowdie, a rich 
 yellow roll from the dairy, or thiggum o' caller haddies, 
 according to circumstances, always afforded pleasure, and 
 met with a cordial reception. For, as stipends and 
 salaries were regulated by the price of victual, they stood 
 then at a much lower estimate than in subsequent ages ; 
 and a solatium for extraneous duties, if not always con- 
 ferred, was uniformly expected. Indeed, some of the 
 Established clergy were at that remote period so sparingly 
 provided for, that they were reluctantly compelled by the 
 stern decree of lawless necessity to strike the glorious en- 
 sign of moral dignity, to suppress the swellings of native 
 independence, which was merely comprised in a fanciful 
 shadow, and, friar-like, to assume the humble demeanour 
 of genteel mendicity. And that very alternative which 
 was had recourse to in the olden time to eke the deficiency 
 of a limited benefice, has been adopted, even in the nine- 
 teenth century, by beneficed clergymen of penurious 
 habits, whose income was more than double their expendi- 
 ture. The catering predilections of the modern stipendi- 
 aries did not, it is true, like those of other sturdy beggars, 
 manifest themselves by an open exhibition of the meal- 
 pock, the tattered garments, the parti-coloured mantle 
 of patchwork, and the piteous, whining accents of 
 poverty ; but, according to a more specious, a more 
 dignified method, they presented their petitions by
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 89 
 
 expressing their unqualified admiration of every edible 
 substance which the wandering vision incessantly 
 conveyed to the covetous heart. And as this method 
 powerfully obtained, both in the circles of pure libe- 
 rality and vain ostentation, in every purveying ex- 
 cursion their huge pockets were invariably converted 
 into the common receptacles of every species of provi- 
 sion. It may be remarked, however, that bachelors, 
 maintaining the veriest shadow of an establishment, have 
 ever been the most prone to indulge in the practice of 
 this peculiar system of economy. By simply adverting 
 to these curious facts, it is by no means intended to cast 
 a disparaging shade over the favoured descendants of 
 Levi, but merely to exhibit the debasing influence fre - 
 quently exercised by the sordid principle of avarice over 
 highly cultivated minds, so far as the letter of knowledge 
 is concerned. Although the clergy of Scotland have 
 long since ceased to be viewed as beings possessed of 
 superhuman attributes, and regarded with that supersti- 
 tious, nay, idolatrous veneration which has ever been the 
 characteristic progeny of bewildered devotion, so long as 
 they respect themselves they receive the rational homage, 
 reverential esteem, and respectful deference of every en- 
 lightened community to which, by their rank and status 
 in society, they are legitimately entitled. But waving 
 this, let us resume the love-letter. 
 
 Behold, now, the gay, the cheerful, the beautiful Eliza, 
 as she glides with elastic tread along the rugged pave- 
 ment of the ancient burgh, unimproved since the de- 
 parture of the royal presence a fervent glow of realized 
 hope animates her bosom, a smile of blissful satisfaction 
 playfully curls on her visage, whilst her keen blue eyes 
 are beaming and sparkling with inexpressible delight ! 
 Carefully secreted in her breast she wraps the half-deified 
 billet, and in her apron a peace-offering for the dominie,
 
 90 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 as a quietus for the excitement and irritation too often 
 associated with scholastic turmoil ; for she possessed sa- 
 gacity enough to discern that a gift was endowed with 
 such inherent virtue. Solus in his spence (converted 
 now-a-days into a parlour^ she found the man of letters 
 lolling in his elbow-chair, after a teasing routine of fruit- 
 less efforts to strike a ray of light through the dark im- 
 pervious skulls of refractory urchins. Having paved the 
 way with the presentation, she found him comparatively 
 easy of access ; and, preferring her request, she handed 
 him the letter to decipher its contents a privilege which 
 no breathing mortal besides had ever been permitted to 
 enjoy. As Andrew's other two Elizas were exalted on 
 a pinnacle of expectation no less elevated, and their 
 ceaseless enquiries after post communications no less 
 eager, each was speedily apprized that a letter, having 
 her name emblazoned on its front, had just been errone- 
 ously delivered. The hue and cry instantaneously burst 
 forth, as if the entire burgh had been in flames from 
 the one extremity to the other from the Royal Castle 
 to the mill-dam ; and scarce had the dominie finished 
 the thrilling preface " My Dear Eliza," when, like a 
 rapid torrent, subduing every obstacle, in rushed the 
 other two lovers, each seconded by her mother each 
 in breathless haste and alternately exclaiming "Whaur's 
 my letter ?" " Whaur the wuddie's my lassie's letter ?" 
 By this unceremonious intrusion, the nonplused dominie 
 was thrown into an odd dilemma, and looked aghast ; 
 
 * ~ * 
 
 and as they carried with them no gift save that of tongues, 
 he could by no means divine the purport of their mission. 
 As he sat, astonished in pensive stupor, like an isolated 
 cliff in the ocean, and the foaming tempest raging around 
 him spending still, and still increasing the mother of 
 the first Eliza plunged haphazard into the midst of the 
 boisterous jungle of conflicting vocables, whose forcible
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 91 
 
 eloquence proved no inconsiderable acquisition to the up- 
 roarious group. Located in a region of stupifying, 
 deafening clamour, with the lawless, ungovernable 
 members of half-a-dozen women now clashing about 
 his ears, let any hapless wight, indissolubly joined 
 to a termigant, decide whether this was a pleasant, 
 an enviable position even for a man inured to the 
 ceaseless ordeal of seminarian din. " Silence ! si- 
 lence !" exclaims the dominie, with a voice of command- 
 ing emphasis, but exclaims in vain ; whilst his right 
 hand, as if guided by some instinctive impulse, made fre- 
 quent involuntary plunges into the yawning pouch of his 
 justie-coat, the usual receptacle of the tawse, an instru- 
 ment that rarely failed in suppressing every insurrection- 
 ary movement that occurred in the sphere of his arduous 
 duties ; and it was with difficulty that he mustered so 
 much self-command as to forbear its liberal exercise. As 
 the furious gust was sudden as the dread explosion of a 
 surcharged thundercloud, the whole faculties of his soul 
 were surprised out of joint, and jumbled into one chaotic 
 mass ; and before he was competent to concert any deci- 
 sive measure, a considerable period of time insensibly re- 
 volved while he was busily engaged in rubbing up his 
 brains, collecting his scattered ideas, and adjusting the 
 deranged functions of his cranium. Perceiving, at length, 
 amidst the scowl of the surrounding atmosphere, and the 
 impetuous torrent of vocal elements, that some real or 
 fancied mistake in the delivery of the letter formed the 
 sole bone of contention, he supposed that by a reference 
 to the address a reconciliation might be easily effected ; 
 and although the interior of his pate still continued a 
 scene of buzzing confusion, as if his skull had been con- 
 verted into a bee's scaip, the raging tumult having par- 
 tially subsided, he throws the one leg over the other, and 
 assumes the mediatorial office. " Whiest, now," says he,
 
 92 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 " till I look narrowly into this awkward affair. "Well 
 (addressing himself to the virgin that brought him the 
 gift), what's your Christian name ?" She answered, 
 " Eliza Brown." " That's my name." " That's my 
 name," responded the other two, with vehemence. 
 " Ay," cried the matrons, " Nae 'casion to houd it. 'Tis 
 as weel paid for as her's, an' nae less wordie o't." Thus 
 the dominie's first attempt to solve the problem utterly 
 failed. But he had yet another rule in reserve by which 
 he hoped to accomplish it. " To the care of John Brown," 
 says the man of letters. " Pray, what connection have 
 ye with him ?" " He's my father," exclaimed three 
 lovely mouths in one instant, which involved the dominie 
 in a deeper labyrinth of perplexity than ever. And each 
 of the maternal dames, seconding her own daughter's 
 motion, followed up with " Ay, lassie, you're right. 
 That's as sure's a weaver's knot. My certy there's nae 
 doubt o* that." The dominie being seized by certain 
 misgivings respecting this rare coincidence, betook him- 
 self to the cross-examination of the matrons, to elicit, if 
 possible, some more light upon the subject. " Ye needna 
 waste yer wind, sir," said the first, " speerin' ony mair 
 about my man's name, for I've kent him this thretty year, 
 an' I never heard him get ony ither ca' but John Brown, 
 or carritty pow ; an' the letter can belang to nae ither 
 buddie but my lassie, be what it wull." At this crisis, 
 the frowning presages of a storm appeared accumulating 
 with fearful rapidity on the brows of the other two. Their 
 eyes reeled, lips quivered, nerves shook, and the entire 
 physical system thrown into violent agitation, bewrayed 
 a virulent host of internal emotions ; while, with grinning 
 vengeance, all the tangles of control were rent asunder 
 by a furious gust of envenomed passion. " What ! ye 
 impirrent slut, if ye say sae, I'll set my fit upo' the neck 
 o' ye, as I wull, an' tak' the ill-faur'd life o' ye. Is na
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 93 
 
 my man's name John Brown ay, an' his faither afore 
 'im, an' I watna how many mair o' his forbears ? Nae 
 buddie wi' an e'e i' their head will ca' my bairn a bastard, 
 for she's just her faither's born picture ; an' if curly pow, 
 sir, be on that letter, ye'll ken wham to gie it till, for 
 she get's that name as an heirscape o' her faither ; an' I 
 was a haill towmond in his aught or e'er she was seen, as 
 I was ; an' the letter's as sure my lassie's as the sark upon 
 her back, that she span wi' her ain hands, as it is. An' 
 mair betaikin', I'll daur the face o' brass to say, black's 
 the e'e o' her head, or pit a foul finger on that letter, as I 
 wull. Tent ye a' that, or ye'll dree the pine o't. Ay, 
 what a stock o' impirrence !" Now was the excitement 
 of the third matron wrought up beyond the extreme pitch 
 of endurance, and but for the safety-valve, her whole 
 rational machinery might have been involved in one dread 
 catastrophe. " What !" she exclaimed, with terrific fury, 
 " whether my face be brass or iron, 'tis just as God made 
 it ; an' I'll let ye ken." Here ensued a desperate wordy 
 warfare, a tumultuous commotion, a jostling, uproarious 
 hubbub, in which tempest the dominie's throne was cap- 
 sized, and its literary occupant thrown upon his beam- 
 ends, like a shipwrecked hulk in the foaming surf. This 
 untoward event was purely accidental, but like oil poured 
 upon the troubled waters, it proved an effectual quietus. 
 For, in consequence of the fall, a letter parted connection 
 with his person unobserved by any save the most furious 
 of the matrons, who snatched it with shark-like avidity, 
 aud forthwith made sail for the manse, followed by her 
 daughter. Cherishing a sturdy, unhesitating belief that 
 she had effected a capture of the disputed document, how 
 amazingly curious did the fiery flame of indignation that 
 blazed in her visage appear, in beautiful contrast with the 
 glowing flush of triumph ! But the gorgeous pyramid of 
 hope, the lofty tower of satisfaction, that her heated ima-
 
 94 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 gination had upreared, was altogether an illusive phan- 
 tom, a deceptive meteor, a flimsy shadow, based on the 
 wind; and just as a beauteous star emerges above the 
 horizon, exhibits a gleam of transient glory, and is sud- 
 denly quenched in the bosom of a cloud, so her brilliant 
 hope inspired by the conquest only dawned to be eclipsed 
 by the shades of disappointment. The dominie had been 
 previously waited on by a respectable female, who had 
 conceived some erroneous ideas concerning the federal 
 relation in which Adam stood as the representative of his 
 descendants, and could by no means perceive how his fall 
 should entail misery on his whole posterity, and therefore 
 requested a letter of introduction to the parson, in order 
 to have that subject discussed in all its bearings. This 
 epistle he had just finished ere his domicile became the 
 Babel of tongues, and it was the same with which the 
 infuriated matron had triumphantly eloped. 
 
 Now, peep for a moment into the manse, and observe 
 the odd colloquy. She hands the letter to his reverence, 
 who silently peruses its contents, and having transferred 
 himself, as it were, to the garden of Eden, he proceeds : 
 " Well, you're aware that man was placed in a glorious 
 condition, and fell by some means from his high estate." 
 " It's a' true, sir. Fu' weel I ken he fell ; an' it's a pity 
 it sud a happened ; but I'd fain houp he'll be nae waur 
 o't." " You're also aware what was the cause of his fall, 
 and the confusion which it introduced into man's abode." 
 " As ye say, sir, there was nae little confusion in his 
 abode ; but I kent naething about his fa' till I heard the 
 din. an' saw 'im lyin' on his back, and the muckle chair 
 aboon 'im. Sae dinna gang to think that I dang him 
 our, whae'er sud hae the sin o' the mischanter." " These 
 are rather peculiar metaphors in which you seem to in- 
 dulge. But you certainly know that man's disobedience 
 was the eause of his fall?" " I watna whether or no ; but
 
 OP THE ISLAND OF MAY. 95 
 
 siu ye say sae, I doubt nae but ye may be right, consider- 
 in' a' the outs an' ins and ups and downs o't. But dinna 
 mention meat-afores, for I downa brook a lee. There 
 was neither meat-afores, nor drink-afores, nor aught 
 foundit for ony creature to 'dulge in. But as ye seem to 
 hae gotten ill milk frae some clashin' neebor, I'll tell ye't 
 a' frae end to end, an' syne ye'll maybe come to mair 
 understandin' about the man's fa'. Aweel, sir, d'ye see, 
 that upsettin', daft cuttie, took it, whan she had nae 
 mair business wi't than I hae wi' the kirk steeple, an' 
 ran till 'im wi't, as there had been ten an' twenty boggles 
 tuggin' at her tail. An' it kythes to me that he was as 
 ripe's an August cherry to do her biddin', but I dinna 
 like to wyte the man unwordily, for aiblins he wist na 
 how she'd come be't." "Oh, yes, good woman, he knew 
 all about it, and the mischief that would result from taking 
 it. But go on." " Aweel, sir, ye've mair lore than I hae, 
 an' sin' he took the thing frae the cuttie, weel kennin' 
 that she had nae business wi't, I wat he's bauld to com- 
 plain o' his fa', tho' I hae nae hand in't." " But you 
 are well aware that it was a heavy fall, introducing fell 
 disorder into the world, and spreading a withering curse 
 over the beautiful creation." " Ye' re right wi' the heavy 
 fa', for it gaurt a' the grun shake ; but he neither curst 
 nor bann'd whan he fell, for aught that I ken. No, no 
 let the truth be aye tauld ; but i' the middle o' the dis- 
 order ye speak o', I was dumbfoundered whan I heard 
 the fa', an' saw him wi' my lukkin' e'en, lyin' oot, head 
 an' feet o' 'im, and walterin' below the chair, just like a 
 half- worrit stot, by a' the world." The minister staring 
 through the portals of a dilemma, thus responded : 
 " Alas ! poor woman ! the miserable effects of the fall 
 are deplorably manifest in your own person ; you are 
 raving in a state of wild delirium, utterly unconscious of 
 the incalculable loss which you have individually sus-
 
 96 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 tained by that calamitous event ; and I must wave this 
 unprofitable interview, seeing that the latter end of it is 
 even less satisfactory than its beginning you still re- 
 main ignorant of your own loss by the fall." " Ay, ay, 
 sir, an' somebody tauld ye that I was a raven belduse ; 
 forsooth, I took what belonged to my ain bairn. Nae 
 matter, am nae that doutit aboot the ky thins o' the fa' ; 
 an' the fiend a bit o' me has tint sae mickle be't as ye 
 think. Ye're unco weel versed i' the letter end frae 
 what ye say an' I'm blyde o' that, for baith the begin- 
 nin' an' the end was about the letter ; an' if he had ne'er 
 fa'n, I ne'er had gotten 't. Sae ye may whinge about the 
 man's fa' as ye like, but if ony thing be tint be't, it's no 
 tint to me, that I ween. Now, sir, hae done wi' the 
 caritches, an' read my lassie's letter, for she's sittin' here 
 a' in an unca fyke to ken what's in't." " O yes, my girl," 
 addressing himself to the virgin, " hand it this way." 
 " My mother gae ye't, sir ; that's it lyin' upo' yer thing 
 there, at yer tither hand." " You are mistaken, there 
 is no such thing here." " Preserve's frae a' skaith ! did 
 ever mortal see sic a world ? it's surely gane clean up- 
 side down sin I kent it. D'ye no see Liz Brown on't 
 there, my bairn's ain christened name!" forcibly exclaimed 
 the old lady. " Be assured, good woman, the letter is 
 clearly addressed to me without any mistake or am- 
 biguity whatever." "I watna what kind o'guity's in't; 
 but I believe the foul fiend frae the ill place is no free 
 o't, for he's been ringin' i' the toon this aught days. But 
 if I sud waird my sark I'll see farther in't ere I sleep. 
 Come awa, lassie." 
 
 This was in reality a move-offering most grateful to 
 the ears, agreeable to the eyes, and acceptable to the 
 soul of the parson, who, on account of her peculiar 
 eccentricities of speech and demeanour, became seriously 
 apprehensive of some dire, some furious manifestation of
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 97 
 
 moony-madness. But this was altogether a groundless 
 apprehension ; for by reason of his solemn declaration 
 respecting the address of the letter, a faint glimmering 
 of conviction had dawned upon her mind, that she had 
 actually been deceived in the tenor of her conquest 
 having caught the wrong sow by the ear; and, therefore, 
 it was under the irresistible impulse of a complex motive, 
 inspired by the hapless blunder, that she so abruptly de- 
 camped from the manse, leaving its bewildered occupant 
 in a labyrinth of puzzle and perplexity, such as he never 
 experienced in all his curriculum. To him, her mysteri- 
 ous conduct seemed a wreath of intricacy, more difficult 
 to unravel than the knot of Gordius ; and would have 
 baffled the wisdom of the Eastern Magi, or resisted the 
 sword of the great Alexander. But, in the midst of his 
 perplexity, he resolved at length to visit the dominie, 
 from whom he had received the introductory letter, as, 
 haply, he might be able to shed a ray of light on the 
 woman's mysterious ebullitions respecting the fall of man. 
 On the disastrous overturn of the dominie, there en- 
 sued a temporary suspension of the raving, roaring tem- 
 pest. But it was only like the deceptive stillness that 
 oft precedes the wrecking hurricane. The man of let- 
 ters, having by some mechanical process, righted and 
 recovered himself from the shipwrecked position in which 
 he had been thrown by the tumultuous elements, re- 
 sumed his throne with a visage as inflexibly stern as that 
 of Caesar Augustus when he taxed the whole world. 
 His temper had been sufficiently tested, and he was now 
 as irritable, as if, in a state of utter nudity, he had been 
 involved in a waving thicket of nettles. Although a 
 transient armistice may be observed betwixt hostile par- 
 ties, as a matter of expediency, when victory is claimed 
 by neither side, yet, while the identical cause of conten- 
 tion still rankles in all its virulence, corresponding effects
 
 98 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 may be expected as a natural consequence. The love- 
 letter tempest again burst forth with renewed fury and 
 increasing violence ; whilst the jarring vocal machinery, 
 raging, roaring, and creaking, poured a deafening torrent 
 into the ears of the dominie, still tingling with the former 
 onset. In vain he demanded silence iu a voice of abso- 
 lute authority, while his hand again plunged insensibly 
 into the yawning repository of the tawse, as if to enforce 
 obedience by a prompt infliction of corporeal punishment- 
 He at length commanded the intruders to decamp, de- 
 claring, at the extreme pitch of his voice, that he was 
 bound in honour to give the letter to none but the per- 
 son from whom he received it. This so incensed the un- 
 successful party, that a sally was instantly made on the 
 other ; and in the twinkling of an eye, the entire group 
 was embroiled in a desperate physical conflict. The an- 
 tiquated tires were hurled from the hoary pates of the 
 matrons, and recklessly trampled under foot ; and the 
 fine scroll-work of the crisping-pin, that encircled the 
 temples of the blooming virgins, was barbarously marred, 
 tortured, and dishevelled. The inherent principle of 
 waggery, whereof few men, however sullen or sedate, are 
 wholly destitute, inclined him for sometime to enjoy the 
 militant scene with a feeling of peculiar complacency 
 all the while carefully watching the motion of the cur- 
 rent, lest he should again be overwhelmed in the surf. 
 But when the checkering streaks of crimson, produced by 
 the ruthless talons, kythed in blending tinges amid the 
 disordered features, he perceives that the love-warfare 
 had reached a crisis that imperatively demanded his 
 prompt interposition. Then, with instant resolve, im- 
 pelled by an indignant feeling of insulted majesty that 
 sinks all dread of consequences, he plunged into the 
 midst of the raging vortex, and with the prowess of a 
 Hannibal, severed the contending armies, ejected the
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 99 
 
 aggressive squadron, quelled the boisterous eruption, and 
 restored tranquillity in his domicile. He then read the 
 letter the thrilling, the entrancing letter all teeming 
 with the softest, the sweetest, the most delicate expres- 
 sions of love, and abounding with pledges of indissoluble 
 fidelity ; the whole being wound up, ratified, and con- 
 firmed by the precious, the endearing signature of An- 
 drew Brown. Here was enjoyment well worth contend- 
 ing for, a conquest that amply compensated for the 
 scratched cheeks, the dishevelled locks, the disruption of 
 friendship, and all the other concomitants of warfare. 
 The epistle is again deposited by Eliza within the inclo - 
 sures of the unapproachable fortress, and secreted in close 
 connection with the glowing confines of the heart ; and 
 having poured a deluge of blessings on the head of the 
 dominie, she, with her mother, takes the broad way to 
 the home of her father. But, ah ! the uncertainty of all 
 sublunary enjoyment! The expelled detachment, in order 
 to accomplish their purpose, continued lurking in am- 
 bush, watching the movements of the happy pair, that 
 they might take them by surprise, and ultimately effect 
 a capture of the valuable document which was the cope- 
 stone of all bliss, and the foundation of all misery ; and 
 just while rounding a quiet nook, they seized the favour- 
 able moment, sallied forth from their concealment, and 
 pouiiced upon their game with a tiger's fury. Well 
 knowing the situation of the letter, the forbidden terri- 
 tory was rudely invaded when a struggle ensued that 
 baffles all description ; for to dislodge that letter was tan- 
 tamount to dislodging the heart itself, and Eliza would 
 part with the one as soon as with the other. Just at 
 this critical juncture appeared the other detachment who 
 had left the manse, so that there were again three parties, 
 each contending for possession of the golden mountain ; 
 and such was the unparalleled tulzie, that the garments
 
 100 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 were forcibly torn from their persons, the laws of decency 
 set at defiance, and the love-letter rent into shreds, and 
 wafted hither and thither on the wings of the wind. To 
 the parties who were totally ignorant of its contents, this 
 vengeful devastation imparted a gust of fiendish delight. 
 But how very different were the emotions that struggled 
 in the bosom of her who experienced the fell bereavement ! 
 Her breast heaved with the sobbings of sorrow, and the 
 streams of grief flowed copiously from her glistening eyes, 
 as she attempted in vain to collect and arrange the scat- 
 tered fragments. Every portion of it, however small, 
 was a dear, a sacred emblem of the writer ; and all the 
 disrespect with which it had been rudely treated, she 
 held as inflicted on him. No marvel, then, that her very 
 soul was ready to leap from its casement, and vanish 
 forever in the regions of space. But there is a peculiar 
 solace in revenge ; and the sergeant of the town, at - 
 tracted by the tumult, just arrived in time to note the 
 assailants ; and he, arrayed in all his catch-poll import- 
 ance, assured her that they would speedily be brought to 
 the bar of justice, and visited with condign punishment. 
 Under this species of sorry consolation, mingling her sighs 
 with the breath of heaven, she wandered home to add 
 another to the sleepless nights to which the captives of 
 love are often subjected. 
 
 How stately the bark with her full flowing sails, 
 
 In majesty roams the wide sea ; 
 By the power of the rudder she conquers the gales. 
 
 And tends to the weather or lee. 
 
 But once of that governing sway she's bereft. 
 At random she's tossed by the blast ; 
 
 To merciless billows, unguided, she's left, 
 And founders on shoals at the last.
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 101 
 
 And Heaven's i'air work, blessed with reason to guide, 
 
 Can stem the rough ocean of life ; 
 And brave the cross current in time's rolling tide 
 
 Of care, and of sorrow, and strife. 
 
 But oft when the swellings of passion arise, 
 
 Dame Eeason is drowned in the flood ; 
 The meek become brawlers, and foolish the wise, 
 
 And the decent disgustingly rude. 
 
 They reel, and they plunge, in the choleric foam, 
 
 Unguided by aught that's divine 
 But rudder or compass, blindfolded they roam 
 
 And shipwreck's the sequel in fine. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THERE once was a period in the history of Scotland 
 when the dominant spirit of feudalism wielded a sceptre 
 of unlimited dominion over her glens and mountains, 
 plains and forests, and rampant slavery stalked with a 
 crest as bold as ever it exhibited in the wilds of Africa ; 
 and from the days of Ossian to the eighteenth century, 
 the instinctive love of freedom that glows in every Scotian 
 breast, was chilled, and checked, and withered, by the 
 frigid breath of tyranny. Every fawning sycophant 
 that, through the mists of of debasing venality, had 
 groped his way into the fickle realms of aristocratic fa- 
 vour, at once inhaled the contagious breath of despotism, 
 and became in a manner tenfold more feudalised than his 
 lord. Invested with a tinsel robe of delegated authority, 
 flimsy as the cobweb, and instable as the vapour that flits 
 across the heavens, such minions of unhallowed sway 
 ever regarded their fellow-mortals as an inferior order of
 
 1U2 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 beings, and as despicable insects only fit to wallow in the 
 filth of the earth, or be exiled beyond the precincts of the 
 visible creation. How wretched the condition of those 
 whom the stern decrees of fate destined to bow beneath 
 the iron sceptre, and implicitly yield the obedience of 
 terror, to the capricious dictates of minds thus governed ! 
 And the deeper and darker the cloud of ignorance that 
 immures the soul, the more absolute the reign 6f pride, 
 presumption, and despotism ; and the more inglorious 
 the condition whence such beings are translated to a 
 brighter eminence, the more susceptible they are of 
 idolatrous homage and fawning servility. In every age 
 of the world men have existed under the governing in- 
 fluence of peculiar dispositions, whether inherited from 
 their progenitors or acquired by external contact ; and 
 while they continue to revolve in their own orbit of na- 
 tive obscurity, these, though faintly visible in the common 
 intercourse of life, are suppressed or circumscribed by a 
 thousand contingencies; but exalt them beyond the sphere 
 apparently designed by nature for their operations, and 
 the simple elements of utility are suddenly transformed 
 into conspicuous objects of ridicule. An instance of 
 this kind was brilliantly exemplified in the burgh of 
 Crail, about the period referred to in the preceding 
 chapter. A certain eccentric, with all his latent foibles, 
 was, from the humble status of obscure plodding industry, 
 elevated to the loftiest eminence of civic glory, and digni- 
 fied with the title of provost. This marvellous promo- 
 tion imparted a resistless impetus to the slumbering 
 principle of vanity which, long suppressed, now heaved 
 and swelled in his bosom like a mighty stupendous billow 
 of the great Atlantic. Whatever were his literary at- 
 tainments, he was by no means ignorant of the splendid 
 pinnacle of glory on which he was exalted, and his own 
 personal importance in consequence, insomuch that, in
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 103 
 
 examining and considering himself (a circumstance of 
 too rare occurrence in the world), his thoughts would 
 sometimes surpass the limits of their province and tran- 
 spire in audible whispers " Preserve me ! what am I ? 
 But I've surely mista'en mysel' this canna be me, for the 
 very youngsters, whan they see me, rin cowerin' hame 
 like hens in a rainy day. The auld folks lift their 
 bannets when I gae by ; even the minister himsel', guid 
 honest man, taks baud o' the snout o' his hat, and says 
 ' How d'ye do, Provost.' Guides a', but this is a queer 
 warlt. I'll get word about wi' the grit folks now, as I 
 will. But I'se hae a crack wi' the minister, and get a 
 len' o' some o' his muckle sharp-nebbit words, an' syne 
 I'll speak like mysel' amang them." However full of his 
 own majesty, by this resolve he manifested a degree of 
 wisdom that might do honour to many coast provosts 
 of the present day ; for these dignitaries are frequently 
 so dazzled with the splendours of their own glory as to 
 shut out every impression of the incalculable advantage 
 that uniformly results from mingling with superior so- 
 ciety, or even to inspire doubt whether a thing of that 
 name really exists in the world. As the East Nook 
 provost was never ia the least suspected of being inimi- 
 cal to a bicker of good nappie ale, acting upon this re- 
 solution, he drew largely on the minister's barrel, and 
 likewise his vocabulary, by which he amused the wise 
 and confounded the weak. 
 
 Now, it cannot possibly be supposed that so flagrant 
 a violation of the King's peace, and the quiet of the 
 burgh wherein the love-letter fell a victim to the rage 
 and venom of the combatants, was to be overlooked by 
 the sergeant, who possessed sagacity enough to perceive 
 that in it there was grist to his own mill ; and the pro- 
 vost was too sensible of his vast responsibility, and too 
 replete with the majesty and importance of his office, to
 
 104 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 allow such an uproarious affair to pass unpunished ; and 
 as he had already proved himself a terror to evil-doers, 
 all quaked under the summons, being brimful of dread 
 apprehensions as to the final result. But one of the 
 matrons, who was rather remarkable for her presence of 
 mind in trying emergencies (an instance of which ap- 
 peared in the seizure of the dominie's letter in the very 
 heat of action), was not on this occasion wholly absorbed 
 in the gloom of the future. With wily caution, she con- 
 veys to him a stately roll of highly presentable butter, 
 shrewdly conceiving that it might have a tendency to 
 mollify the rigid sterility of his heart, soften the rigour 
 of the sentence, and cause the whole affair to slide 
 smoothly through the clutches of his judgment. This 
 species of philosophy he, in all probability, had acquired 
 from observation and experience ; nor can any remain 
 ignorant of it who direct their attention to the study of 
 human nature, which, notwithstanding its innumerable 
 grades of distinction, is identical in the main ; and 
 through all its various degrees, from royalty itself to 
 the humblest factorial minion, every age has proved that, 
 however tenable its position may appear, it still has a 
 vulnerable side, an accessible point. Gifts, concessions, 
 and free-will offerings, are bombs that, long ere now, 
 have effected great and mighty achievements ; and if 
 judiciously applied, their inherent powers are still suffi- 
 cient to move the bar and the wool-sack, the pulpit and 
 the bench, the throne and the cuttie-stool. And if those 
 strongholds be incompetent to resist the influence of such 
 potent ammunition, it were extreme folly to imagine 
 that the Provost of Crail was proof against such engines 
 of attack. 
 
 Behold him now exalted on the bench, exhibiting all 
 the civic dignity and stern deportment of a Roman 
 Praetor ! His majestic mien appeared to inspire every
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 105 
 
 living substance with a shy retiring diffidence, save a 
 huge fly that for a while buzzed about his ears, and then 
 with audacious resolve perched itself on the rosy summit 
 of his aquiline nose. Here sat the proud aspiring in- 
 sect on its mountain of glory, as unmindful of its humble 
 origin as aught pertaining to the beak that bore it. This 
 afforded unspeakable uneasiness to the great official, and 
 added much to the excitement of the irritable temper 
 that imagined superiority of rank is ever apt to engender. 
 He puffed and brushed, and became as restive as a spirited 
 steed under the stinging ordeal of a swarm of famishing 
 gad-flies. But the despicable annoyance still clung to 
 his nose like an eagle to the carcase ; or, haply frayed 
 from its vantage-ground by his violent gesticulations, it 
 merely accomplished a buzzing circuit and resumed its 
 dignified position. That a man so mighty in power 
 should be disquieted by a cause so diminutive, may justly 
 be considered one of the greatest wonders of this world. 
 But he entertained a shrewd suspicion that this fly de- 
 rived its existence from something else than the com- 
 mon source of such insects, on account of its unparalleled 
 presumption ; and therefore construed it into a devilish 
 incantation of one of the pannels at the bar, whom he 
 always considered fully possessed of the witch-mark. 
 His honour, who had been subjected to this peculiar 
 species of annoyance during the whole investigation of 
 the case, happened to cast a pacific glance on the sus- 
 pected dame, in which she clearly perceived the soothing 
 influence of the butter, when the huge fly was mysteri- 
 ously transferred from the nose of the provost to that of 
 the matron, on whom he was fully matured to inflict the 
 pains and penalties of the law ; and being thus freed 
 from the teazing, tickling annoyance of his tiny adver- 
 sary, he delivered himself thus " Aweel, sin ye see I 
 hae 'vestigated the hail affair wi' nae little caution, I
 
 106 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 maun now tell ye a' my termination to conflict persevere 
 punishment on ye, that ithers may be interred frae the 
 like omissions. Be this my incision ; for I'm dissolved 
 that a' sic like callie-shangies sail be impressed an' ex- 
 hibited frae uproarin' the burgh o' Crail ; an' as the 
 minister says, sae lang as I wheel the spectre o' govern- 
 ment, nane daur exist my 'thority, being regal prostitute 
 o' the king ; an' be his device, I'll kythe my bald dissolu- 
 tion wi' pith, an perfect extermination for the weel o' 
 the burgh. An' I sud hae poonished the hale eternity o' 
 ye for ramfeezlin' the lassie on the vera crown o' the cawsey, 
 an' bambouzlin' her letter, wi' yer ill-faured flippers." 
 At this instant the buzzing agent of purgatory makes 
 seven circuits round his magisterial cranium, and again 
 resumes its dignified position on the towering pinnacle 
 of his nasal organ. He puffs, he fidges, he rubs his nose, 
 and again catches hold of his subject. " But there's nae 
 'casion for me disgustin' the business ony longer, an' 
 keepin' ye in dispense anent the incision. Now, tent ye, 
 Jean Wickie, ye've kythed yersel to be a torious terma- 
 gant, as the minister says, an' ye allenarly hae the wyte 
 o' the hale resurrection, din, an' devilment, that befell 
 yestreen at Sinkarie's Nook ; an' for whilk outrage ye 
 sail be fined to seven marks, an' twa groats mair forbye, 
 to sanctify the sergeant. An' I demonish the lave o' ye 
 to tak' gude tent that ye be nae mair complicated in ony 
 sic graceless affair, lest ye come nae aff sae skaithless the 
 neist time ye're extinguished wi' the honor o' compearin' 
 at my tribunal." Jean, perceiving that the sentence 
 savoured highly of partiality, began to turn over a few 
 thoughts in her mind as she withdrew from the bar, such 
 as "Preserve me! what a jukery-paukery's i' this \varlt; 
 really it's an auld sayin' an' a true, that ' kissin' gangs 
 by favour.' " These thoughts having audibly effected an 
 entrance into the auricular organs of the provost, his
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 107 
 
 incensed soul exploded like a bombshell " What ! Xano 
 o' yere dispensations here, or I'll incastrate ye, an' pit 
 yer feet i' the stocks, an' bring ye up the morn an' 
 execute ye for contermasliie; sae ye'd better mind wha 
 ye're speaking to, goodwife, and dispend yer dacity. Sae 
 tent ye weel, luckie, an' keep yer animalversions to yersel' 
 as lang's ye're i' the climates o' my taterritories, or ye'll 
 aiblins get i' the clutches o' a mair doolfie mallie fammie." 
 Here Jean, all terror-stricken, clearly descried the fire of 
 vengeance kindling on his brow and bursting forth into 
 flames of unquenchable rage, while piercing daggers of 
 vengeful fury flashed like the vivid blaze of forked light- 
 ning from his huge rolling eyeballs ; and, lest she should 
 be pursued and overtaken by a tempest of more wreck- 
 ing severity, made the best of her way out of the civic 
 arena, muttering as she went ' Hech ! hech ! it's nae 
 easy matter for the warlt when the grun o' the gutter 
 gets uppermost. There's nae little truth i' the byeword 
 ' Nane ever saw a prouder nettle than out o' a midden 
 head.' " 
 
 In this burghal court of judicature it was experiment- 
 ally proved that there is much more virtue in butter than 
 every one is aware of; and whenever any public official 
 appears obviously swerving from the straight line of 
 rectitude, there is still a trite saying current in the East 
 Nook, "He has gotten his loof crcsht." Thus terminated 
 the notable love-letter squabble, with all its ludicrous 
 ramifications ; and though the Provost of Crail were to 
 exhibit himself in the present age, with all his literary 
 blunders, he would not, on that account, be distinguished 
 as a singular existence ; for the world still teems with 
 empty aspirants to talkative greatness, who abandon 
 their native provincial dialect with which they are per- 
 fectly familiar, and without subjecting themselves to the 
 drudgery of students by plodding through the rugged
 
 108 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 avenues that lead to the seat of knowledge, just as a 
 swallow catches flies, they adopt the language of every 
 pompous orator without understanding either its import 
 or application. Hence we hear of enthusiastic forests, 
 supercilious mountains, sensitive rivers, impetuous rocks, 
 and men of decent calamity. Extempore orators are 
 sometimes observed to labour for appropriate language in 
 which their ideas may be conveyed most clearly and 
 forcibly to the listening audience ; but the beings who 
 are addicted to this peculiar species of pompous ab- 
 surdity never experience any such inconvenience, for as 
 every expression that comes uppermost appears to them 
 sufficiently adapted to the subject, they round every 
 period with amazing facility, and overcome every ob- 
 stacle with ease and fluency. Therefore, within the 
 precincts of the benighted orbit in which they commonly 
 revolve, and where all is in sound, they shine like stars 
 of the first magnitude ; but when they exceed the limits 
 of the dingy region in which their fictitious glory shines 
 in all its effulgence, and plunge into a sphere of brighter 
 illumination, how miserable, how utterly wretched, how 
 ridiculous the exhibition ! The first explosion strikes the 
 auditors with a novel species of romantic astonishment ; 
 the second overwhelms the whole muscles of the counte- 
 nance in risible confusion ; and the third inspires a feeling 
 of sympathy for the pitiable vanity, the majestic little- 
 ness of aspiring humanity. 
 
 'Twere wiser far, did nature kindly teach 
 To prize the fruit that basks in easy reach, 
 Nor swim in depths, nor soar in stumbling heights 
 In quest of glory 'mid bewildering lights. 
 
 Were the roll of destiny to be unfurled in which is 
 described the diversified course of human life, and exposed 
 in full prospect before the pilgrim, as he launches forth
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 109 
 
 amid the changeful scenery of time, a dread hesitation 
 would usurp an absolute control over all his faculties; and 
 he would shrink back from the adventure, sit down with 
 folded hands at the vestibule, and expire in despondency. 
 How would the rational soul, in countless instances, 
 recoil at the first rueful glance of the repulsive picture ? 
 the expanded heavens with their luminous host, the 
 rugged earth with its teeming variety of unstable objects, 
 the boundless ocean with its ceaseless agitation, all pre- 
 sent td the view an unbroken scene of never-ending vicis- 
 situde, an enchanted region of delusive shadows, where 
 every fragrant rose involves its pricking brier, every 
 cheering light its chequering shade, every honeyed sweet 
 its envenomed sting. The joyous sun, ascending in 
 a bright horizon of pellucid serenity, hangs out his 
 dazzling lustre in all its pristine splendour and magnifi- 
 cence. But all is transient and illusive as the sudden, 
 short-lived glare of a flitting meteor. The ponderous 
 cloud, that wraps the thunder in its bosom, mars, in a 
 trice, the gorgeous prospect ; whilst the hurling tempest, 
 expending its ruthless ire, shakes the elements of the 
 wide creation, and the blest reminiscence of previous 
 tranquillity only deepens the horror of the gloom. Again, 
 a pleasant spot, resembling the refreshing oasis amid the 
 sterility of the desert, presents its inviting aspect, be- 
 strewed with flowers, perfumed with odours, and teeming 
 with delights. Here one might be inclined to linger on 
 his journey, and bask amid the sweets of enjoyment ; but 
 there is no halting. This contracted elysium is merely 
 an alluring approach to a soul-teasing strait of perplexity, 
 a dark and narrow vista beset with thorns, and where 
 each advancing step encounters a rugged cliff, a hideous 
 precipice, a yawning pit-fall, a roaring cataract, or a 
 rending whirlwind. In union, all or by alternate course, 
 these dire existences obtrude their gruff, ungainly pre- 
 K
 
 HO HISTOKICAL SKETCHES 
 
 sence on the bewildered senses, affrighting the vision, and 
 astounding the ear. Thus entangled in a maze of diffi- 
 culty and a labyrinth of care, he gropes his dreary way 
 without one cheering ray, save the faint glimmerings of 
 expiring hope, which, in countless instances, are finally 
 extinguished by the insuperable pressure of the adverse 
 elements ; and the hapless pilgrim, tottering on the 
 verge of a precipice, stumbles headlong into the gulf of 
 destruction. Such is the repulsive aspect of the world, 
 portrayed for multitudes in the volume of fate f such 
 the rugged scenery that intercede the extremes of their 
 mortal existence an example of which appears in the 
 ill-starred Eliza, crossed and thwarted in her fairest, her 
 dearest prospects. 
 
 Retiring from the hall of judgment, with her lovely 
 eyes expending their brightest glances on the callous earth, 
 as if numbering the senseless bullets that sustained m?r 
 feet, and whilst ruminating on the remorseless manner 
 in which she had been bereaved of the highly-prized 
 epistle, a slight feeling of peculiar satisfaction, the fiend- 
 ish progeny of revenge, stirred in her bosom, when her 
 rambling thoughts reverted to the pains and penalties in- 
 flicted on the main-spring of her sorrow. But transient, 
 miserable, and thread-bare was the solace she derived 
 from this unhallowed source ; still, the grievous forfeiture 
 of Andrew's image, expressed in the letter which was 
 recklessly tortured, tattered, and exterminated by the 
 hands of malignant envy, maintained the ascendant in 
 her mind, and effectually poisoned every spring of enjoy- 
 ment. But, whilst musing in sombre regret over the 
 vanished shadow once so dear, behold what a grateful 
 surprise ! The reality itself, in the identical person of 
 Andrew, flashed upon her humid vision just as his very 
 self emerged from the coverture of the precipice that con- 
 ceals the harbour, and with him a sprightly youth from
 
 OF TIIK ISLAND OF MAY. Ill 
 
 the Emerald Isle. How blest ! how transporting ! how 
 ecstatic the instantaneous recognition ! Her whole soul 
 flashed in her eyes, as she threw at him a gorgeous gar- 
 land of her sweetest, her blandest smiles. The interven- 
 ing space rapidly dwindled into nothing, in consequence 
 of the mutual attraction that operated in powerful concert, 
 like the conjoint influence of the two great luminaries ou 
 the swelling waters of the ocean. What a glorious meet- 
 ing ! Even the gaze of a curious, an inquisitive world, 
 to which they were exposed, was barely competent to 
 restrain the rising ebullitions of love. What a sudden 
 transition from the brooding gloom of symbolic bereave- 
 ment to the bright fruition of the object emblemized ! 
 What a strange reverse in the tendency of all the springs 
 of action of all the emotions of the soul of all the 
 streaming currents of passion, must this entrancing sur- 
 prise have effected in the lovely bosom of the fair ! Such 
 a reflex motion of all the intellectual machinery not unfre- 
 quently induces delirium, or a sudden disruption of life's 
 attenuated cord ; but, on the present occasion, it was 
 productive of n such hapless result. All glowing with 
 inexpressible delight, she conducts the welcome stranger 
 to the residence of her mother, where his presence, like 
 the mystic spell of enchantment, converted every care into 
 smiling joy. 
 
 Such is the activity of the busy, tattling bodies in all 
 towns ef inconsiderable extent, that every trivial occur- 
 rence is trumpeted from the one extreme to the other 
 with telegraphic dispatch. So Andrew's visit, with its 
 full intent and purport, pervaded all the ramifications of 
 the burgh with thunderbolt velocity ; for whilst one class 
 of tattlers were prosecuting a busy inquiry into the 
 nature and import of his mission, another, more fertile in 
 conjecture, had the whole business, in every secret item, 
 most punctually settled. Be therefore assured that the
 
 112 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 other two Eliazs were neither ignorant of the matter, nor 
 by any means comfortable under it. This will be no 
 matter of wonderment to any who. are experimentally 
 acquainted with the irresistible influence which the tender 
 passion exercises over the entire affection of the human 
 heart an influence that prompts its subjects even to 
 contemn the grissly aspect of death. But, while snbdued 
 in every faculty, under the mortifying contemplation of 
 neglected or despised love, they fell in fainting prostra- 
 tion beneath the heart- agonising twinges. The matrons, 
 severally actuated by a spirit of vindictive wrath, sallied 
 forth in eager pursuit of the faithless gallant, and catch- 
 ing a glimpse of him, with his Irish secretary, just bid- 
 ding good-bye to his beloved Eliza, they oped their mer- 
 ciless mouths, like the crater of a huge volcano, and belched 
 forth a flaming torrent of blackguardism that made his 
 astounded ears tingle in grating vibrations through their 
 whole marvellous machinery, till Pat, breaking through all 
 the restraints of etiquette, exclaimed with fury, "Bad luck 
 to you ; can't you be easy ; and if you can't, be as easy's 
 you can ; or, by the holy Saint Patrick ! I'll stone you to 
 death with bad halfpence, and sure I will !" .Again, 
 another fiery peal of triple-charged indignation rattled like 
 a storm of brick-bats around the stranger's din -tortured 
 auriculars. " It's a cryin' sin, an' a black burnin' shame, 
 to the filthy fallow to diddle ony honest man's bairn in 
 a way sic like. My lassie's a' bamboozled wi' his fause, 
 fraikin', ill-faured tongue ; for he has the wiles o' the auld 
 deil about 'im, there whaur he stands. My lassie's a 
 gaun to, like a pat'll o' par tin's i' the het water ; an' sud 
 she pit awa hersel, whilk Heaven forfend ! 'twar nae ferlie 
 to me ; an' that ugly, glib-gabbit limmer there, peepin' 
 through the winnock, an' flingin' her gley'd een at 'im 
 like a half-worrit ram, she's at the boddom o' the hale 
 rumpus. But I'se warrant she'll see twa moons i' the
 
 OF THE ISLAND OP MAY. Ho 
 
 lift that night she rnak's her bridal bed wi' him." " Oh ! 
 a bloody end to you ! Be jogging ; or, by the holy poker 
 of Dublin ! I'll water the earth with your blood, sure ; 
 and so I will." The two firebrands, observing the ser- 
 geant gliding along in the distance, took leg-bail, dread- 
 ing a renewed onset of the provost's weighty artillery ; 
 and Andrew, withhis aide-de-camp, proceeded to instruct 
 the dominie respecting the preliminaries of his union with 
 the lovely Eliza previous to which consummation, he 
 returns to the island, to complete the luminous edifice 
 according to contract. 
 
 Contemplate now the gay prospective bride, 
 Whose cheerful heart's a never-ending feast ; 
 
 The hours in blest reflection onward glide, 
 Whilst sweet emotions stir within her breast. 
 
 The crowning day, with all its fancied bliss, 
 
 Shines through the veil that future time conceals ; 
 
 With 'minished space proportioned joys increase, 
 As round the sphere with tardy motion wheels. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 IN every quarter of the civilised world, very little research 
 will be necessary in discovering the existence of rational 
 beings, who are incessantly employed in adjusting, arrang- 
 ing, and settling every man's affairs except their own. 
 And the restless, ever busy devotees of this peculiar 
 species of charity, this officious benevolence, rarely ex- 
 perience a scarcity of fuel to impel the tattling machinery, 
 or gratification for their insatiable propensity. And why ? 
 Because on every occasion, when a contingent lull of 
 notable transpirations occurs in their province, presaging a
 
 114 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 dearth of events wearing the stamp of genuine currency, 
 they instantly have recourse to forgery, and counterfeit 
 coin to supply the deficiency, and relieve their commer- 
 cial embarrassment. Now, the whole circumstances con- 
 nected with the love-letter tulzie, the unexpected visit of 
 Andrew, the architect, and the unhappy condition of the 
 two slighted love-lorn Elizas, having occupied the tongues 
 and talents of the lame and lazy during a period of nine 
 days, which usually completes the revolution of a coun- 
 try clash, the tattling peculiars were about to experience 
 a drought in their resources, when, behold ! a most 
 remarkable event emerged from the dungeon of obscu- 
 rity, burst through the dingy veil that obscures the un- 
 explored regions of futurity, and traversed the parish of 
 Crail with astounding aspect. Nor did this marvellous 
 affair confine its wonder-exciting qualities within the 
 precincts of this famous locality ; but in a space of time, 
 comparatively transient, were disseminated over the en- 
 tire Kingdom of Fife, through the medium of pedlars 
 and sturdy beggars, the most efficient vehicles of news 
 at this remote period. Indeed, it may be affirmed with- 
 out hesitation, that by means of these pedestrian couriers, 
 the rural population of Scotland were, in a variety of in- 
 stances, more conversant with distant occurrences during 
 the ages that are past than they are at the present day. 
 There is a tradition still extant on the east coast of Fife, 
 which, like every other tradition, presents itself to the 
 world wearing the untarnished mantle of veracity, and 
 acting under a kindred impression, the mysterious blood- 
 chilling circumstances therewith connected are here par- 
 ticularly narrated, according to the received version. 
 
 In the surly, cloud-stained month of November, the 
 parish parson, by a fell decree of fate, was bereaved of 
 his beautiful, his loving, his virtuous partner in life. A 
 calamity whose magnitude none can estimate a cup
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 115 
 
 whose bitter ingredients none can describe or adequately 
 feel but those who have drunk it to the dregs she, in 
 the bloom and vigour of meridian life, without experien- 
 cing the forecast shadows and presages of the pale mon- 
 arch, was hurled beyond the confines of time, and sudden 
 as the transit of a fleeting meteor, the last fair work of 
 Heaven and solace of care-worn man lay stretched a 
 motionless image, a mere passive figure of humanity. 
 The eyes of the dappled morn beheld her full of life, 
 high in hope, and cheered with the brilliant prospect of 
 a long, an unruffled flow of earthly enjoyment. The 
 sombre shades of eve descended on all that remained of 
 angelic sweetness, laid out in striking, in mournful dis- 
 play, and attired in the gay, the gloomy garniture of death. 
 According to the prevalent practice of those times, 
 females, immediately after the vital principle had parted 
 connection with the material existence, were prepared for 
 mingling with the silent assembly in the cold, the dark, 
 the senseless region of funereal slumbers, by being 
 arrayed in a full and complete dress of splendid apparel, 
 like a blooming bride at the hymeneal altar. Thus 
 habited in pure sepulchral vestments, the unconscious 
 lady lay in state during four revolutions of the globe, in 
 whose icy bosom she was about to be deposited until 
 the whole should be enveloped in the devouring flames 
 of a general conflagration. The manner of announcing a 
 death, and summoning the funeral attendants, in this, as 
 well as in several burghs on the East Coast, at the period 
 here referred to, was rather peculiar and worthy of notice. 
 The beadle perambulated the streets, carrying a bell in 
 his hand, with which, at intervals, he produced a certain 
 uniform sound previous to giving forth his proclamation, 
 which he did with all the apparent sincerity of an arch- 
 bishop. In this proclamation, either the deceased was 
 named or the person to whom he or she was connected 
 by particular affinity, as for example
 
 110 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 " A' brethren an' sisters Ilk man an' mither's son 
 be this I lat ye wit that the minister's spouse departit 
 this life on the last Mununday o' this week, an' will be 
 boorist the morn, at twal o' the clock. Rest her sawl !" 
 
 The invitation being thus given in general terms, an 
 immense concourse of every age and sex, whose pedestals 
 were competent to sustain the bust, and impelled by 
 every shade of motive, formed her motley escort to the 
 drear, the lonesome province of graves, the grissly land of 
 apparitions, and witnessed her consignment to the oblivious 
 mansions of the tomb ; and as the yawning grave, dole- 
 ful and hideous, swallowed down its envied spoil, and 
 closed its gloomy portals on the blest angel of benevolence, 
 the fathers sighed, the mothers melted into tears, the 
 weans grat as under the smarting influence of the soul- 
 saving rod, and the adamantine sexton, feigning an 
 accordance of sympathy, rubbed down with pitiless hand 
 his " hard unmeaning face ;" while the convulsive sobs 
 and huge rolling tears of" the inconsolable parson, bore 
 evident testimony to the pungent sorrow, the heaving 
 billows of grief that swelled in his bosom. During the 
 entire celebration of the funeral obsequies, the elements 
 loweredin frowning blackness; the sun, in all his meridian 
 glory, was wrapt in dismal sackcloth ; and the rain 
 descended in gushing torrents, deluging the saturated 
 earth and drenching the dolorous procession. This con- 
 tingency, however, though fraught with annoyance to 
 the living, was generally esteemed, at that period, a cer- 
 tain indication that the departed spirit had passed through 
 the clouds to the regions of celestial bliss ; and can it be 
 believed that this romantic superstition still prevails to a 
 considerable extent in many districts of enlightened Scot- 
 land ? and the proverb is thus doggerelly expressed 
 
 " Happy is the bride on whom the sun shines, 
 And blest is the dead on whom the cloud rains."
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 117 
 
 Men of wisdom and superior talent, when brought 
 under the subjugating power of love, sometimes display 
 a considerable degree of weakness and folly ; and such 
 was the parson's vehement affection and ardent attach- 
 ment to his spouse, that the massy gold-ring that she 
 wore while in life he would on no consideration suffer to 
 be removed after death, but that she should carry it with 
 her to the rayless empire of sullen forgetfulness. The 
 sexton having been apprized of this rather singular cir- 
 cumstance, the dazzling radiance of the precious metal 
 struck, with torturing glare, his insolvable eyes. The 
 evil spirit of covetousness usurped an absolute sway over 
 his callous affections, controlled his selfish feelings, and 
 governed every pulsation of his sterile heart, cased in a 
 panoply of steel. For twelve successive hours his grovel- 
 ling thoughts, like noxious vermin, prowled in the bottom 
 of the grave where lurked the glittering spoil ; which, to 
 possess, comprised the scope of his entire aim, the grand 
 centre to which all his desires at once converged. 
 Prompted by the evil genius, he reasoned thus with him- 
 self: " Why should such costly ornaments be consigned 
 to the darkness of the tomb, and lost for ever ? such were 
 only made to be beheld and admired, and not to be locked 
 ' in a coffin and immured in the earth. That portion of 
 gold which can afford no pleasure, no delight, no gratifi- 
 cation to the dead, may yet please and adorn the living 
 beauties of creation, and benefit me, even my living self. 
 As death has no need of it, and the grave requires it not, 
 could there be robbery in a deed by which no one is 
 injured ? All the precious gems, the glistering pearls, 
 the heaps of gold, whose dazzling qualities constitute the 
 prime source of human distinctions all is ravaged from 
 the earth by the plodding research of man, and the earth 
 complains not. Why, then, should it grudge me that shin- 
 ing morsel ? and why do I halt and linger in seizing it ?"
 
 118 HISTORICAL SKETCH KS 
 
 Thus having reasoned himself into the clutches of resolve, 
 the desperate scheme is projected, and provided with his 
 professional apparatus, he speeds apace to its execution. 
 T\vas now the dark, the dreary, doleful hour of mid- 
 night, when all nature was hushed as the prostrate 
 dead, over whose grassy tombs he stalked with stumbling 
 stride. Only the night-blessed owl, whose blood-chilling 
 screams, from the crannies of the lofty spire, resounding 
 through the vault of heaven, convinced the callous vam- 
 pire that ought existed in the world but himself. The 
 convulsed air, with hollow intermitting gusts, raved amid 
 the rustling foliage of the cheerless yew, and howled 
 amongst the leaf -shedding branches of the bending elms 
 that skirted the lonely theatre of mortality. Assailed by 
 such ungracious sounds, in such a scene of awe-inspiring 
 gloom, at such a season, ever fraught with ghastly appari- 
 tions and walking images of terror, he plies his imple- 
 ments with skill and might and ardour to unlock the 
 fetters of the tomb. "What but the height of philosophic 
 courage, or the depth of brutish insensibility, could have 
 sustained the mind under such circumstances, whose very 
 contemplation strikes with appalling dread ? Who but 
 a being familiar with the trophies of death, and inured 
 to walk amongst the shattered fragments, the mouldering 
 wrecks of humanity, would not have felt a freezing sen- 
 sation in all the avenues of life, and a universal quaking 
 in every joint, nerve, and sinew of his physical system ? 
 But, as the deep-rooted, rock-bound island resists, un- 
 moved, the dashing billows of the ocean, his heart, in its 
 flinty, its impregnable fortress, remained unskaithed by 
 the arrows of terror that poured around him. Anon, in 
 this dreary solitude, this cyprean province of " skulls and 
 coffins, epitaphs and worms," behold him wrapt in the 
 shades of impervious night, exerting all his corporeal 
 energies, in harmonious response to the high-flown hope
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 1 1 9 
 
 which he cherished of earning a golden recompense ! 
 Throughout the whole series of his grave servitude, never 
 was the shovel more vigorously applied in finally dispos- 
 ing of its owner's species than it was in removing the 
 once vital earth that covered the spouse of the bereaved 
 parson, and immured the tempting treasure so eagerly 
 pursued. The encumbrance rapidly vanished before the 
 skill and strength of the stout-hearted, sturdy sexton ; 
 he unscrews and lifts the decorated covering, and once 
 more the eyes of man behold the prostrate image arrayed 
 in her snowy vestments. With eager anxiety he gropes 
 for the cold hand that bore the glittering prize ; and hav- 
 ing disrobed it of the funeral glove, and selected the pri- 
 vileged finger, he resorts to violent measures in order to 
 separate the massy ring from the swollen member to 
 which it belonged, when, to his awful surprise to his 
 hair-stirring horror, the lady suddenly withdrew her hand 
 from his iron grasp, and, in stifled accents, exclaimed, 
 " Oh, alas !" All panic-struck, like a petrified statue, 
 thoughtless, speechless, and motionless, he stared aghast, 
 fixed in the trammels of a dire dilemna. Never but once 
 was unhappy man placed in a predicament so bewilder- 
 ing, so perplexing, so astounding. What could possibly 
 be more alarming what could inspire a feeling of 
 deeper consternation than the sound of human voice issu- 
 ing from the cold region of death from the dark depths 
 of the tomb ? No marvel though a scene so dread had 
 scared the soul from its casement, and mingled his mortal 
 fabric with the mouldering wrecks that tenanted the 
 rayless mansions to which, without a sigh, he consigns 
 his fellows. But, here, this appalling terror produced no 
 such fatal result ; his suspended recollection speedily 
 resumed its functions, and promptly suggested remedial 
 measures for the trying emergency. Such, however, was 
 the effect produced en his mind by very fear, that he
 
 120 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 relinquished all hope of obtaining the prize for which he 
 laboured ; and seizing the cover which lay close by, he 
 proceeded with the utmost despatch to secure the tur- 
 bulent member that broke through the stillness of that 
 mute society amongst whom she had been but recently 
 enrolled. But awaking from the trance, by whose mys- 
 terious influence life and consciousness had been totally 
 suspended, she made a desperate struggle to resist the 
 enclosure, and in the voice of supplication, earnestly 
 implored him to spare her life, and she would never divulge 
 the transaction. It is r the opinion of some that people 
 falling into a trance, with their eyes open, both see and 
 hear, and are perfectly conversant with all that is going 
 on in their presence, while every other faculty of the 
 prostrate body is suspended in the stupor of death. If 
 this opinion be founded on probability, then would she 
 be perfectly acquainted with her situation, having been 
 privy to the whole funeral arrangements discussed in her 
 presence during the period that she lay in state. Be this 
 as it may, the very being who, only a few hours before, 
 bound her beneath a ponderous load into the heart of the 
 earth, now recognising the well-known voice, not of a 
 hideous spectre, but her very self, assists in relieving her 
 from the narrow prison of gloomy horror, and raising 
 her from the oblivious chambers of death to the land of 
 light, life, and liberty. After being conducted beyond 
 the precincts of the churchyard, she recovered a perfect 
 recollection of every object around her; and having 
 wended her lonely way to the desolate home of her sor- 
 rowing husband, the glimmering stars now behold the 
 sepulchral fugitive knocking at the gate of the manse. 
 Though grief still is grief, whatever be the nature of its 
 productive cause, yet it is as varied in shade, quality, 
 and degree as are the sources whence it emanates ; and 
 although this passion in general tends to banish slumber
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 121 
 
 from the eyelids of the sombre being who is under its 
 dominion, yet there is a peculiar species of it, which, 
 operating on certain lethargic constitutions, has a power- 
 ful tendency to induce profound sleep, as the result of a 
 potent opiate. It appears to have been grief, endowed 
 with this soporific quality, by which the mind of the 
 bereaved parson was affected ; for, on the marvellous 
 return of his spouse from the sullen domains of forgetful- 
 ness, her knocking was loud and often repeated, as, thinly 
 apparelled in the habiliments of the grave, she stood 
 shivering in the bleak blast of November ere the sounds 
 could penetrate the heavy ears of his reverence. Perse- 
 verance at length succeeded iu breaking through the Mor- 
 phean crust in which the parson was enveloped. The 
 uncouth din, as it rung through the vacant lobby, and 
 reverberated from one postern to another, fell on his ears 
 like a dying peal of distant thunder ; but so bewildered 
 were his senses, so mystified by the hazy atmosphere of 
 sleep in which he was involved, that he could arrive at 
 no definite conclusion whence or what it was that 
 invaded his slumber. As the noisy midnight ordeal still 
 waxed louder and louder, he at last quits his couch, and 
 scratching his haffets, yawning and rubbing his half- 
 sealed eyes, stammers to his chamber-window in order to 
 survey the coast. But when his glistening eye-balls 
 lighted on the snow-white figure of a ghost, gliding back- 
 ward and forward with silent tread, and knocking at his 
 own door for admission, what convulsive fear ! what 
 insuperable amazement ! what paralysing horror seized 
 the fountain of life, and controlled the springs of action ! 
 Overwhelmed in a tempest of perturbation, how fluttered 
 his soul, like a hampered bird struggling to escape from 
 the cage of its confinement ! while his quaking, trembling 
 frame reeled on the dizzy precipice of life, ready to 
 stumble into the dark gulf of invisible existence. At 
 
 L
 
 i'2'2 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 this peculiar period, thegenius of superstition exercised an 
 unlimited sway overthe reasoning faculties of man, under 
 which a most romantic opinion existed, no less prevalent 
 amongst the learned than the unlearned, that disembodied 
 spirits, disquieted on account of unconfessed guilt or 
 undivulged secrets, frequently returned from the land of 
 apparitions and courted the converse of mortals, having 
 no rest until the cause of their disquietude was revealed ; 
 and on all occasions, whenever such mysterious beings 
 rendered themselves visible in any particular locality, it 
 was the minister's exclusive prerogative to address those 
 objects of terror in the name of Divinity, and afford then> 
 an opportunity of unbosoming the cause of their ceaseless, 
 solitary wanderings, and so retire into the murky seclu- 
 .sion of Hades, and terminate their appalling visits to the 
 land of vision. And many a runkled grannie is still 
 possessed of an extensive catalogue of marvellous disclos- 
 ures, purporting to have been made by ghosts, which are 
 too absurd either to be remembered or recorded. One. 
 however, may be given, as it is curious enough in its own 
 way, and may be the means of decerring others in similar 
 circumstances from indulging in such nefarious practices. 
 The being kept a dairy while in this world, as we believe 
 many one does on the same principles ; and when she 
 was transported to the vale of oblivion, she, like the 
 patriarch's dove, could find no rest for the sole of her foot. 
 Therefore, when the curtains of night involved the beauti- 
 ful streaks of the landscape in one universal shade, the 
 restless ghost, denuded of its mortal vestment, incessantly 
 haunted the very theatre where she usually figured in 
 the drama of life, diffusing terror and dismay over the 
 entire neighbourhood, and chasing home the night-wan- 
 derer, pale and trembling, with bristled hairs, stubborn 
 as the quills of a porcupine, and suffused, as it were, with 
 the cold sweat of death. But the minister having been
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 12o 
 
 applied to, reluctantly undertook the unpleasant task of 
 speaking to the ghost, from whose quivering lips, in dread 
 unearthly accents, issued the cause of disquietude in the 
 following words, then vanished for ever : 
 
 " The watered milk, and light pund stane, 
 They gar me wander here my lane." 
 
 Such is the peculiar gossip with which many old 
 matrons, during the long nights of winter, still delight tu 
 entertain children, who drink it in with the utmost 
 avidity ; whilst a creeping chill pervades their entire 
 system, as they huddle together, competing with each 
 other for the closest vicinity of the hearth. Thus the 
 seeds of superstition are implanted in their tender sus- 
 ceptible minds, where they germinate apace into a rank- 
 ling forest, which all the philosophy of riper years is 
 unable to eradicate. Thus are rivetted the galling 
 fetters of slavish terror, that multitudes during the period 
 of their natural existence continue under a species of 
 thraldom, which neither strength of body nor vigour of 
 mind is able to overcome. But let us return to the 
 manse, and revisit the parson under his dire dilemma. 
 A moment's reflection having partially retrieved his dis- 
 ordered senses, suspended by sleep, sorrow, and surprise, 
 he arrived at the settled conclusion that the visionary 
 object that loomed on his visual organs was nothing else 
 than the shade of his own beloved spouse, disquieted by 
 some undisclosed secret. And having by speech drawn 
 out the mind of a wandering ghost on some previous 
 occasion, he was perfectly conversant with the dreadful 
 alternative, and reaching the climax of resolve that stood 
 aloof amid the gusts of terror, with tremulous hands he 
 opes the casement, and exclaims " In the name of 
 Heaven ! what is the cause of thy disquietude ?" when 
 she thus responded, " Fear not, my husband. The being
 
 124 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 you address is no empty apparition, but in reality my 
 very self, the wife of your bosom." " Gracious Heaven!" 
 he ejaculates within himself, " what is this ? Was not 
 the prophet by satanic agency aroused from the slumbers 
 of the tomb and exhibited to the trembling monarch, 
 wearing the identical form, voice, and costume in which 
 he was wont to kythe himself on the banks of Jordan ? 
 And what, can this be my very spouse ? How far beyond 
 the range of possibility ! Could finite mortals, dreaming 
 of elysian bliss, conceive a more romantic thought ? Did 
 not these eyes behold her extended in the passive still- 
 ness and silence of death ? Did not these trembling 
 hands consign her to the dungeon of corruption, that 
 closed its gloomy portals around her ? and though 
 humanity, alike imperfect, has been wrested from the iron 
 grasp of death, and recalled from sepulchral durance, and 
 restored to their bereaved, their disconsolate friends, the 
 age of miracles has long since vanished into the regions 
 of chaos. How, then, has the grave relinquished its spoil, 
 and death its fair trophy ? How " Just at this crisis, 
 his faithful domestic, in a fit of frantic perturbation, 
 rushes up stairs, exclaiming, " Good be wi's ! for either 
 the mistress or her ghaist's at the door, duntin' an' wantin' 
 me to open, but am awfu' fley'd. Will ye gang wi' me, 
 sir, an' keep me frae skaith, an' I'll let her in I" With 
 what trembling steps they descended the gloomy stair- 
 case ! With what restraining hesitation they unbolted 
 the door, and what a flood of apprehensions burst in upon 
 their souls as the door moved backward on its creaking 
 hinges ! But how overwhelmed was the parson in a cross 
 current of swelling fear, stirring joy, perplexing amaze- 
 ment, when his living spouse, saluting him, placed her cold 
 icy hand into his ! Perceiving now that it was no phan- 
 tom, no baseless apparition, he received her into his arms, 
 whilst a tumult of discordant emotions struggled in his
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 125 
 
 breast, such as no tongue was ever able to describe. 
 Amid this unparalleled tempest of feeling, even while a 
 smile of complacency appeared curling gently on his 
 visage, the huge rolling tears, in rapid succession, started 
 from his bewildered eyes. By this unaccountable event, 
 the whole weeping inmates of the manse, influenced by a 
 reflex sensation, aroused from their midnight slumber, 
 rushed with unclothed haste to their maternal friend. 
 Not after having accomplished a long journey to some 
 remote continent on the face of the busy world, but from 
 a twelve hours' immured residence in the silent province 
 of the dead the noisome land of graves, the husband 
 found himself marvellously re-united to his beloved 
 spouse by the same endearing ties that death had severed; 
 and the bereaved children, again embracing an indulgent 
 mother, grat for very joy. 
 
 The remarkable circumstance in the lady's history is 
 reported to have made such an indelible impression on 
 her heart, that, although she survived it many years, and 
 gave birth to several children, a smile was never observed 
 on her countenance. The fell contemplation of having 
 been interred alive, her mysterious deliverance from the 
 thraldom of the tomb, and what may yet be her hapless 
 destiny, effected a complete revolution of her natural tem- 
 perament, and stamped a sombre seriousness on her whole 
 deportment. In the gayest assemblies, amid the inno- 
 cent pleasantries of social life, a cloud of rueful melan- 
 choly overshadowed her visage, an involuntary sigh fre- 
 quently convulsed her bosom, and a recoiling shudder 
 galvanized her entire system. Such were the visible 
 effects of an abstracted mind, absorbed in a maze of horrid 
 reflections, and environed with a host of repulsive images. 
 Nor need this unvaried train of pensive gravity at all be 
 wondered at in a rational being actually wrested from the 
 dead, and reclaimed from the depths of the tomb by an
 
 126 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 inscrutable Providence, who even renders the unamiable 
 qualities of man subservient to his praise. And although, 
 in the present instance, the sexton, impelled by covetous- 
 ness, was rendered instrumental in preserving human life, 
 he forfeited all claim to merit on account of the base 
 motive by which he was actuated ; for, in common 
 observation, every moral action derives a peculiar colour 
 and quality from the design or motive which prompts to 
 its performance ; therefore, as the sexton was not insti- 
 gated by any desire to preserve the lady's life, but to 
 plunder her of the gold-ring, the happy result of his enter- 
 prise contracted a stain from the unworthy motive under 
 which it was achieved. 
 
 In the silence of midnight, when nature was hushed, 
 And naught but the terrors of darkness awake 
 
 When the fierce howling wind through the trees leafless rushed. 
 And the owls screamed aloud while the turrets did shake, 
 
 The mean, sordid wretch, by ambition controlled, 
 Abandons his couch, and his slumber foregoes, 
 
 "With aims all allured by the glitter of gold, 
 To plunder the dead in sepulchral repose. 
 
 But, ah ! what a marvellous power oft defeats 
 
 The craftiest projects ambition contrives ! 
 Ransacking the tomb, what a damper he meets ! 
 
 The mute becomes vocal, the lifeless revives ! 
 
 In the regions of silence, and darkness, and dread, 
 
 Where all is defenceless, resistance appears : 
 Th' unhallowed intrusions of man to evade, 
 
 The dormant in death's gloomy province appears. 
 
 The spoiler, though baulked in his covetous aim, 
 
 Wliile plodding for treasure in the depths of the tomb, 
 
 Subserved to rekindle life's smouldering flame, 
 And restore the interred to her family and home.
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 127 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE wayfaring man, however urgent his embassy, im- 
 portant his mission, or hazardous his journey, may relax 
 his energies, may loiter in his path, may doze and slumber 
 in the lap of repose, but time, his silent companion, 
 tarries not in its course, nor halts for the listless lingerer ; 
 it is ceaseless, rapid, and invariable in its motion, inces- 
 santly wasting in its effects, ever changing the aspect of 
 creation, revealing the mysteries of the future, and hurling 
 the events of the present into the fathomless gulf of chaos, 
 where slumber the vanished ages of the past. Although 
 the complex machinery of time be actually invariable in 
 its sweeping velocity, and subject to no material influence, 
 yet it is apparently deadened or accelerated by the humour 
 and fancy of changeable mortals. Tis weighed and 
 meted by the vicissitudes of life and the contingencies of 
 fate, while it derives an infinite variety of colour, quality, 
 light and shade, from the diversified atmosphere of 
 human destiny. How dark and heavy, how tardy and 
 slothful is time in the dreary season of adversity, sorrow, 
 and suspense ! H ow light and volatile, ana yet how 
 slow and noiseless is time when illumed by the bright 
 inspiration of hope ; it smoothly revolves on a pavement 
 of crystal, or sluggishly hovers on the golden pinions of 
 delight ! And how fleet speeds the chariot of time 
 through the vale of tempe, or the groves of Elysium ! 
 where hope's bright star is eclipsed by the blaze of frui- 
 tion, and where the bitter waters of suspense are drowned 
 in the sparkling sweets of Ambrosia, and absorbed in the 
 deep nectarian streams of enjoyment. 
 
 While lovers scan the hour of tryst, 
 
 Time lags in savage sport ; 
 But seated on the primrose bank, 
 
 An hour a day's too short.
 
 128 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 Now drawling time, lagging and halting with invidious 
 slackness, at length revealed the blest, the auspicious 
 moon, designed to terminate the rugged course over 
 which the fair Eliza had travelled to the enchanted 
 region of hymeneal bliss. The forecast shadows of the 
 happy consummation shone in her busy thoughts with 
 all their entrancing brilliancy, whilst her heart, with joy 
 before unfelt, bounded on the billows of transport. The 
 smiling serenity of the dawn inspired her with unwonted 
 buoyancy of spirit, as might well be conceived by every 
 heart susceptible of love's thrilling emotions. For on 
 that day her lover, having completed his architectural 
 engagement on the luminous isle, intended to pass from 
 thence to consummate his own tower of felicity by a 
 virtuous union with his long-loved, much-admired Eliza. 
 And much nay, more than much, even the entire 
 world, in the estimation of the expectant Eliza, hung 
 suspended on the fluctuating elements. She runs out 
 and she runs in, she runs east and she runs west, but 
 still her eyes, her thoughts, her every aspiration, all 
 radiate from one centre, and all converge to one point, and 
 that is yofl little insulated empire based in the stream- 
 ing waters of the Forth, and lashed by the angry billows 
 of the German Ocean. The sovereign orb, remote in 
 the eastern skies, exhibits his flaming crest above the 
 dimhorizon, andshootshis oblique beams with diminished 
 vigour athwart the liquid waste ; the fogs of the night 
 are rapidly dispelled and vanish apace from his gorgeous 
 presence, and a bright pellucid concave of vaulted azure 
 encircles the whole territory of vision. What a delight- 
 ful what a transporting prospect is here presented to 
 the contemplation of the hopeful bride ! a prospect re- 
 plete with splendid predictions of coming joys, bright as 
 the sun's unshaded effulgence, and unchequered as the 
 cloudless expanse of the firmament a prospect too emi-
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 129 
 
 nently calculated to excite a tumult of malignant passions 
 in the breast of the two disappointed darlings. Hope 
 extinguished, and love soured into resentment, the flame 
 of envy blazed with unquenchable fury, the smouldering 
 embers of malice and revenge were stirred and fanned into 
 a fiery tempest, and dreadful was the rage of the internal 
 conflict. Thesa combustible ingredients had, for three 
 whole weeks, been collecting themselves into one mass, 
 and were now ready to explode in a deluge of terrific 
 vengeance. The slighted dames could not behold the 
 successful candidate in the street or even in the temple 
 without disfiguring their brows with sullen wrinkles, 
 twisting their beaks into a sneering attitude of contempt, 
 and casting forth a grinning, scourie gansel. But to all 
 these invidious symptoms of scorn, she silently responded 
 in a self-complacent smile of triumph. But what is yon 
 little dingy speck that appears on the bosom of the 
 limpid waters, and to which all her visual powers are 
 directed and her entire affections inseparably rivetted ? 
 What but the little crazy pinnace privileged with the 
 superlative honour of wafting the love-inflated architect 
 to the bright meridian of hymeneal felicity ! Having 
 effected this soul-stirring discovery, and whilst her dizzy 
 eyes were still dazzling and dancing in the rnerriligoes, 
 she wheels abruptly round on purpose to bear the tidings 
 of the joyous event to the ears of her anxious mother, 
 who, in her own sphere, was mightily cumbered with the 
 bustle of the occasion. But in her deil-chased hurry, 
 and love -bewildered vision, she overturned a wean in the 
 way, stumbled headlong over it, and peeled the beautiful 
 extremity of her aquiline nose. Being still worse 
 affronted than hurt, the sprawling constituents of 
 Andrew's bride were collected with all possible despatch, 
 the prostrated edifice again erected and put in motion, 
 leaving the wean to skirl out its sorrows and rise at its
 
 130 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 own time. This ominous disaster operated powerfully 
 on the animal spirits ; it overshadowed the visage with a 
 darkening haze, it increased the longitude of the features, 
 and checked the vivacity that ere while shone in every 
 evolution ; not on account of the damage sustained by 
 the nasal organ this was trivial in itself ; neither did 
 the damper proceed from an idea that the scarred organ 
 would prove a repulsive feature in the eyes of the bride- 
 groom this would rather tend to warm his affection and 
 heighten his regard when acquainted that ardent love 
 for him was the sole cause of the accident ; for who feels 
 aversion, who takes offence at being loved and admired ? 
 But the cloud of disquietude emerged from the dark un- 
 stable ocean of conjecture, presenting to the mind a dis- 
 mal shadow of something unseen, unknown, unconceived. 
 Amongst the symbols of bridal superstition no such 
 article existed as the capsizing and fracturing the nose of 
 a bride on the wedding-day, and none could unriddle the 
 presages it involved ; therefore the interpretation of the 
 fell mishap devolved solely on the wild imagination 
 which, acting on the accustomed principles of romantic 
 extravagance, portrayed the most gruesome figures and 
 constructed the most appalling images of hapless misery 
 that ever chequered the destiny of fallen humanity. 
 These she exhibited to the mental vision in grissly array, 
 as the dismal retinue, the ghastly attendants of the pro- 
 spective bridal union throughout its stages of existence. 
 
 However, come weal or woe, the gleams of joy or the 
 shades of grief, the betrothed damsel, with her patched 
 proboscis, is again on her secret observatory, watching the 
 progress of the tiny bark with her precious consignment. 
 The lofty azure is now marred with clouds wearing a 
 thousand fantastic shapes and diversified colours, and 
 flitting with rapid motion across the disk of the sun. 
 The vital atmosphere, by some inherent cause, aroused
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 131 
 
 from its native tranquillity, sallies forth of its chamber 
 in intermitting gusts, vexing the still waters, disturbing 
 the peaceful subjects of the forest, and shedding the ripe 
 foliage in lavish profusion. The eager bride beholds with 
 bounding heart the flimsy vessel nearing the haven, and 
 dancing lightly on the surface of the agitated waters, 
 when a sudden whirlwind, with rude assault, inverts her 
 garments, and wraps her head in the modest covering of 
 her limbs. Thus hoodwinked and thus exposed, her own 
 person claimed a glimpse of attention, which being de- 
 voted to the adjustment of her raiment, she again directs 
 the powers of her vision seaward in eager pursuit of the 
 world's last object of attraction. She rolls her glistening 
 orbs over the expansive surface of the troubled, the ex- 
 cited element ; they come in instant contact with the 
 island, and the masonic pile of endeared contemplation, 
 but no intervening object strikes the wandering gaze. 
 Again and again, with forlorn aspect, she surveys the 
 devious waste, from the rugged shore to the utmost bounds 
 of the visual horizon, but no delightful prospect refreshes 
 the weary eyes, no trace of the little boat that carried all 
 that was lovely, all that adorned the world, either near or 
 remote, loomed on the wishful sight. The warping cords 
 of consternation entangle her entire corporeal system, 
 alarming apprehensions seize all the springs of sympathy 
 and usurp possession of her fair fluttering bosom, whilst 
 a sudden sigh, large and deep, inflates the organs of 
 respiration, and, as by a safety-valve, finds vent in the 
 unconscious exclamation " Oh ! goodness ! Whaur is 
 Andrew Brown?" How emphatic the exclamation! 
 How abstruse the question ! Where is he ? Beyond 
 this visible horizon beyond the precincts of revolving 
 time swept from the theatre of active existence ex- 
 punged from the chronicles of the living immured in 
 the shades of oblivion, and numbered with the wrecks of
 
 132 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 shattered humanity. That luminous structure, by his 
 ingenuity planned and executed, and whose pristine 
 beams were designed to shed a cheering blaze on the 
 celebration of his nuptials, shine not for him, and only 
 poured its heart-piercing radiance on his widowed 
 bride. Her indulgent mother endeavoured to assuage 
 her sorrows by conceiving the baseless conjecture of his 
 having returned to the island to correct some omission. 
 Although he vanished from her sight in the twinkling of 
 an eye, expiring hope grasped hold of this attenuated 
 thread, which soon proved a deceptive solace, a mere 
 placebo ; for early on the morrow, a fisherman, while in 
 the prosecution of his ordinary calling, hooked Andrew's 
 well-known bonnet, adorned with Cupid's indissoluble 
 knot which her own fingers had wreathed. But how 
 dead to every sympathy, how destitute of every amiable 
 feeling must that soul have been who could, without 
 overwhelming emotion, present this certain token of 
 bereavement to the sorrowing damsel though relics of 
 departed worth are always calculated to afford a melan- 
 choly pleasure. Beings, however, still exist in the pre- 
 sent, as they figured in the past ages of the world, whose 
 strangely constituted minds appear to derive a peculiar 
 species of delight in communicating evil tidings, whether 
 true or false. See how the undutiful son lacerated the 
 feelings of his doting parent when he spread before him 
 the variegated garment dipped in the blood of the goat, 
 as an undoubted token that the fondled child of his age 
 had been barbarously devoured ! Behold the officious 
 courier from the ensanguined battle-field, speeding with 
 impatient haste to communicate the distressful tidings of 
 defeat into the ears of the venerable ecclesiastic, whose 
 eyes were set by reason of his lengthened pilgrimage ; he 
 poured a torrent of afflicting events, in rapid succession 
 and unsparing plainness, till the auditor, overpowered by;
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. Io3 
 
 the harrowing tale of woe, sunk down to the earth, and 
 expired in his presence ! And in like manner sped the 
 unceremonious sea-beat nautic, waving the bonnet in his 
 hand as a trophy of victory, and bluffly presented it to 
 the disconsolate female. The last glimpse of hope was 
 now finally extinguished, and every alleviating surmise 
 merged in the doleful reality. This introduced a crisis 
 well calculated to call forth into vigorous action all the 
 dormant sympathies of the human soul nay, a heart of 
 adamant would have been too solvable a substance to 
 resist the melting influence of a scene so strikingly im- 
 pressive. Seized with a petrifying horror, she fixed her 
 distracted eyes with a gaze of inexpressible anguish on 
 the dripping helmet that once encircled a head so dear, 
 and now in silent whispers and signs of heart-rending 
 import, declared the untimely fate of her hapless lover. 
 So intensely ardent raged the passion of sorrow in her 
 wounded breast, that under its scorching influence the 
 fountain of grief was totally suppressed, and not a single 
 tear flowed from her staring eyes. Motionless as the 
 artist's imitations in the image of a lifeless statue, with 
 frantic grasp she pressed the cold, the senseless material 
 to her swelling bosom, surcharged with the agonizing 
 throes of bereaved love. An awful silence reigned in 
 the chamber of disappointment, resembling the shadow 
 of death and the profound stillness of the tomb ; and a 
 considerable period elapsed ere aught appeared descriptive 
 of the internal conflict that raged unseen in the secret 
 region of thought. At length an overwhelming gust of 
 feeling, a dread convulsive sigh shook her entire existence, 
 and a flood of grief streamed over her pallid cheeks, 
 while she poured forth the deep emotions of her heart in 
 the bitter wailings of sorrow. In her desolate widow- 
 hood, she tenaciously clings to the empty bonnet as her 
 inseparable bosom companion, whilst the endeared head 
 M
 
 134- 1IISTOUICAL SKETCHES 
 
 that erewhile possessed it lies immured in darkness and 
 wrapt in the cold weeds of the ocean. Alas ! on what a 
 baseless fabric, what a fleeting phantom, what a decep- 
 tive vision, hang all our sublunary enjoyments ever 
 bowing to the sceptre of vicissitude, mocking the eye 
 and eluding the grasp ! The gilded tower where perched 
 the genius of hymeneal bliss lias vanished like a 
 flittering meteor in the heavens. The golden mountain 
 that sustained the brilliant column of prospective joys is 
 overturned by a sweeping blast of fate, and naught re- 
 mains but a desolate length of sad, unsightly ruins. Here 
 leave the weeping bride to gaze on the rugged scene, the 
 gloomy prospect, till time shall draw the curtain of 
 oblivion around it, and future hope repair the dismal 
 breach. 
 
 About this period of the world's existence, the demon 
 of superstition, with his hell-scaped retinue of miseries, 
 stalked with rampant stride over the entire domains of 
 Scotland. Every teeming location of human beings had 
 its possession of witches, wizards, and familiar spirits, 
 its infernal tribunal, its instruments of inquisitorial torture, 
 and its flint-hearted executioner. Helpless innocence was 
 made the cruel sport of insatiate malice, and tortured 
 into the confession of guilt and the acknowledgaient of 
 the blackest crimes, under the vain hope of escaping the 
 barbarous ordeal of punishment ; whilst others, endued 
 with more heroic fortitude and inflexible resolve, than 
 gratify the soul of malignant persecution by admitting 
 the false accusation of guilt, were tortured to the death 
 under every species of cruelty that devils could invent 
 and savage humanity inflict. Such was the constitution 
 of witchcraft tribunals that no being, however innocent, 
 whom bigotry accused of infernal compact, could enter- 
 tain the slightest hope of acquittal. The indictment was 
 tantamount to a conviction, and the conviction to inevit-
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 135 
 
 able death. A confession of guilt or a protestation of 
 innocence was alike fatal in its result. By the former, 
 the culprit was instantly committed to the devouring 
 fury of the blazing fagots ; while by the latter, in order 
 to extort a self-condemnation, the accused was subjected 
 to the torture of the inquisition, and exercised therewith 
 till, by a lingering, an excruciating process of murder, a 
 termination is put to the victim's agonized existence. 
 The number of rational beings thus annually sacrificed 
 for the alleged crime of witchcraft is fearful, is shocking 
 to contemplate, many of whom so blessed with profound 
 ignorance as scarcely to be aware that any other devil 
 existed beyond the fiendish muster of incarnates that 
 rioted in cruelty and sported with the feelings of their 
 tortured victims. The present black policy of the witch- 
 doctors in the most benighted regions of Africa, where 
 the light of civilization has never yet penetrated, affords 
 but an imperfect shadow of the horrid scenes that were 
 enacted under the spurious light that Scotland enjoyed 
 at the period here referred to. The winding rivulets, 
 the fertile glens, the bending forests, and the heath-clad 
 mountains of Scotia then witnessed the direful writhings, 
 and resounded with the piercing shrieks of defenceless 
 innocence, suffering the unmitigated vengeance of relent- 
 less barbarism. Where exists a busy haunt of mortals, 
 in whatever sequestered situation, that is not polluted 
 with the blood and chargeable with the murder of human 
 beings, absurdly accused of being in league with Satan 
 and exercising the malignant powers of the infernal 
 world ? Nor does the burgh of Crail, once the seat of 
 royalty itself, stand untainted with the perpetration 
 of these revolting deeds of antiquity. Scarce had the 
 circumstances connected with the architect's death and 
 the consequent frustration of Eliza's hopes fulfilled their 
 ninth revolution of the globe the common duration of a
 
 !.')!> HISTORICAL SKETCIIKS 
 
 district wonder when it began to be surmised and 
 whispered that the catastrophe was occasioned by satanic 
 interposition. The current of conversation amongst the 
 busy tattlers was now diverted into another channel, and 
 every topic, however important, became totally absorbed 
 in the mysterious incantation. During the listless length 
 of a rainy day, when all out-door labour is suspended 
 (an occurrence by no means rare in November), every 
 smithy, every public work-shop, had its own version; and 
 as all the newsmongers of the district usually resorted 
 thither to beguile the tedious hours and discuss all the 
 notable events occurrent in the neighbourhood, every 
 relay of visitants presented its variation in the shape of 
 an amendment ; for the tidings brought under discussion 
 were purely local, except when favoured with the com- 
 pany of a pedlar, or sturdy beggar with his huge staff 
 and awmus-dish, either of whom was eagerly listened to 
 as the acknowledged organ of the foreign news. But in 
 the present instance, all appeared more deeply interested 
 in the domestic than in the foreign affairs, as they seemed 
 more deeply imbued with the marvellous; and these wan- 
 dering, talking journals were no less anxious in their 
 endeavours to collect the circumstances connected with 
 this extraordinary event, that they might furnish enter- 
 tainment for some fireside group far hence in a distant 
 locality having amply proved, by previous experience, 
 that the more abundantly replenished, and the more mar- 
 vellous the contents of their budget, so much the more 
 cordial their welcome, hospitable their billet, and success 
 ful their calling. There are some things in nature that 
 contract, or diminish, or evaporate altogether when ex- 
 posed to the action of the air ; and there are other things 
 that undergo a peculiar process of expansion or augmenta- 
 tion under the same influence ; and the alleged fatal 
 incantation was evidently a something richly impreg-
 
 OK THE ISLAND OF MAY. 137 
 
 nated with the inherent magnifying principle ; since, from 
 a mere partial, underbreath whisper, it accumulated into 
 a loud, a general, a tumultuous clamour from a mere 
 speck in the heaven, it expanded into a universal cloud 
 from a mere mole-hill, it rose into a stupendous moun- 
 tain, whose terrific aspect, whose frowning shadow filled 
 the entire district with profound amazement. Even the 
 desolate bride, in her weeds of weeping widowhood, was 
 by no means unconcerned in the popular fracas. The 
 portentous cloud appeared rapidly thickening into the 
 murky gloom of sackcloth, but in what devoted region 
 the thunderbolt was destined to expend its destructive 
 fury continued a matter of unstable conjecture ; for in 
 this, as well as in other parishes, several beings existed 
 to whom their neighbours fancifully ascribed the posses- 
 sion of the black art, and, according to the current 
 phraseology, were uncannie. But no definite charge of 
 infernal compact was, by the popular voice, preferred 
 against any distinct individual ; but as every existence 
 in the world, even the great globe itself, acknowledges a 
 commencement and a termination, so did this mysterious 
 affair, after it had grown to a pitch of prodigious magni- 
 tude. Whilst the all-engrossing subject was under dis- 
 cussion in the kirk porch, on Sabbath morning, the beadle 
 very inadvertently hinted that he observed the mothers 
 of the two jilted Elizas peeping and muttering at the 
 time of the disastrous occurrence. The unsuspecting man 
 would very fondly have retracted his words, but his lips 
 having betrayed confidence, the secret was no longer sub- 
 ject to control ; the whole group caught fire in an instant, 
 like a bunch of lucifer-matches or some such acute com- 
 bustible materials, and a hundred mouths, in as many 
 seconds, fixed the stigma of witchcraft on the two 
 matrons, and that they effected the swamping of the boat 
 by an incantation, mutually conducted. Such is frequently
 
 138 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 the hapless lot of the unfortunate, that they are no sooner 
 branded with one crime, however unjustly, than all the 
 foul deeds that an uncharitable world can possibly rake 
 up from the tomb of oblivion are relentlessly heaped upon 
 them as an aggravation of their misery. Similar, indeed, 
 was the fate of the two accused females ; every mishap 
 that had befallen the district for many years past was 
 now solely ascribed to their agency. As this coast 
 abounds with a variety of excellent shell-fish, it happened 
 in a fine summer evening, that the town-treasurer, 
 released from his public and private duties, resolutely 
 trenched on the rugged, rocky domains of Neptune, on a 
 parton-hunting expedition, when some invisible being, 
 ensconced in the cleft of a rock, caught fast hold of his 
 thumb, and held him during the flux of the tide, by which 
 means the burgh was for ever deprived of his valuable 
 services. In this situation he was discovered after the 
 receding of the water, and, most unfortunately, the pub- 
 lic accounts of the burgh being in his pocket, were found 
 in such a mangled, mutilated condition as to baffle the 
 most skilful accomptant ; and, according to the tradition, 
 they remain unaudited to this day. The provost had 
 for six weeks been infested with a huge bummer that 
 audaciously usurped the liberty of perching itself on the 
 summit of his nose ; and as he perfectly recollected the 
 occasion on which the despicable intruder first invaded 
 the territory of his nasal organ, he found no difficulty in 
 discovering whence it originated, and from what power 
 it received its unwarrantable commission. Ever since the 
 dominie, in his own domicile, suffered shipwreck under 
 the love-letter tempest, his little empire, despite the 
 authority of the tawse, had been in a state of formidable 
 insurrection, a circumstance which he could ascribe to no 
 other cause than some secret exertion of infernal influence ; 
 and he, too, being perfectly conversant with the notable
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 139 
 
 epoch of its commencement, could by no means mistake 
 the source whence it derived its existence. The parson, 
 likewise, after reflecting on the peculiarities with which 
 himself was connected, conceived a shrewd suspicion that 
 the mysterious suspension of vital motion, the expensive 
 funeral that bore heavily on his resources, and the mar- 
 vellous resurrection of his wife from her sepulchral con- 
 cealment, were all concerted in the council of Pandemo- 
 nium, and executed by demoniac agency ; and he, too, 
 could trace the malignant principle of malice to its prim- 
 ary source. All these remarkable events, and a host of 
 other mischanters, equally annoying, though of minor 
 import, were wholly attributed to these two defenceless, 
 and it may be rationally presumed, innocent females. 
 Under this horrid indictment, they were dragged before 
 the witch-tribunal, and exposed to the insult of a mock 
 trial. Although they very naturally denied all partici- 
 pation in the diabolic charge preferred against them, and 
 professed a total ignorance of what was meant by infernal 
 compact, yet, on the application of the torturing instru- 
 ments, their fortitude relaxed under the agonising pres- 
 sure, and cherishing a forlorn hope of mercy, they grati- 
 fied their tormentors with an extorted confession. This 
 merely effected a commutation of their fates, " severer for 
 severe." They were then pinioned, and forthwith con- 
 signed to the fiery bosom of the flaming pile, that speedily 
 quenched their shrieks and absorbed their miseries. The 
 castle-yard was the theatre of this revolting exhibition of 
 barbarism, by which husbands were cruelly bereaved of 
 their partners in life and children deprived of maternal 
 protection. 
 
 The peculiar events contained in this and the five 
 preceding chapters all accompanied the building of the 
 lighthouse on the Island of May, under the auspices of 
 the Scottish Parliament in the year 1635. From this
 
 140 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 building the benighted mariners were guided by the 
 unsteady blaze of a coal-light for a hundred and eighty- 
 one years, till it was superseded, in 1816, by a splendid 
 modern edifice, exhibiting an oil-light with reflectors. 
 
 Whilst tbe gleams of false science delusively glai'ed, 
 Fell prejudice raged with unquenchable ire ; 
 
 And bloodthirsty bigots for mortals prepared 
 The boot and the thumbkin, the fagot and fire. 
 
 But the true light emerging, those horrors expelled, 
 By devils invented that Scotia disgraced 
 
 Dissolved the spell -crust in which reason was held, 
 And the dark thundercloud of barbarity chased. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 IN the vast, the stupendous, the diversified theatre of the 
 universe, where every creature, whether animate or in- 
 animate, is subject to never-ending vicissitude, a prodigi- 
 ous retinue of remarkable circumstances frequently ac- 
 company the development of any notable event, although 
 they have no immediate connection with the event itself. 
 Neither does this host of attendants, however peculiar in 
 their nature, by any means prove that such an event is 
 really a new creation, a something that never before was 
 known to exist in the locality where its advent occurs. 
 Such in reality was the fortune of that masonic pile that 
 for nearly two centuries heaved its luminous head on yon 
 sombre island that marks the confluence of the Forth, 
 and of which the preceding chapter narrates the comple- 
 tion. Notwithstanding its antiquity and the numerous 
 peculiarities that accompanied its advent into being, the 
 train of marvels, the scenes, comic and tragic, that were
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 141 
 
 enacted in the year of its birth, it Jays no claim to the 
 brilliant distinction of an unprecedented novelty ; for it 
 only superseded the nocturnal radiance of a plain 
 unadorned beacon that, for more than a century, blazed 
 and flamed and flickered in the winds of heaven. The 
 particulars connected with the origin of this beacon will 
 be adverted to in a subsequent chapter, so far as they 
 have been rendered accessible through the hazy medium 
 of obscure tradition. Meanwhile an event, or rather a 
 series of events, may be here related, in which the glori- 
 ous, the soul-ennobling reciprocity of gratitude was con- 
 spicuously manifested that rare virtue whose lovely 
 blossoms expand but partially amongst the rankling 
 weeds, the stings and poisons that luxuriate in wild 
 variety over all the climes of earth, these skies being too 
 cloudy, this climate too cold, the soil too barren for the 
 celestial texture of that beauteous flower of paradise. 
 
 The Island of May has in every age of maritime com- 
 merce been the scene of numerous appalling and disastrous 
 shipwrecks, whereby multitudes of hapless beings have 
 fallen victims to the ruthless fury of the raging elements ; 
 and about the middle of the sixteenth century, in the 
 dark, the dreary, the tempestuous month of December, 
 one of those dreadful scenes of death and devastation 
 exhibited itself on the shores of the island. A large and 
 stately vessel from the coast of Spain was unfortunately 
 overtaken in the German Ocean by one of those dread 
 aerial convulsions with which this high latitude is fre- 
 quently visited. The skies, wrapt in a veil of universal 
 gloom, lowered with a dismal aspect over the devoted 
 bark, as she wallowed in the foaming surf; the raving 
 tempest roared and howled amid the tattered canvas ; the 
 rattling cordage, and the creaking masts, pouring a sound 
 of horror chilling as the knell of death into the bewildered 
 souls exposed to its relentless rage ; the rushing rain, the
 
 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 piercing hail, the drifting sleet, in mingled discharge, 
 borne with rapid flight on the tempestuous wings of the 
 storm, battered and blinded the nonplussed mariners as 
 they clung to every imagined security to sustain their 
 giddy footing. No moon shed a beam of borrowed 
 lustre over the benighted hemisphere ; the twinkling host 
 of heaven belied their existence, or, immured in a shroud 
 of impervious vapour, withheld their cheering influence 
 from the habitation of mortals. No ray illumed the 
 terrific chaos, save the intermittent glare of the swift 
 electric flash that only augmented the horror of the pro- 
 spect, tortured the feeble organs of vision, and exposed 
 the scowling canopy in dreadful contrast with the snowy 
 foam of the raging ocean. But the warring elements, 
 yielding, as it were, to a momentary armistice, a distant 
 light appeared glimmering in the black horizon ; transient 
 was the blaze it exhibited ere it was again concealed 
 by a deep perplexing curtain of intervening sleet, that 
 narrowed the prospect and circumscribed the powers of 
 vision within the limits of a span. A dingy speck now 
 appears looming on the white bosom of the water, and 
 the distant roar, the dashing tumult of breaking billows, 
 sounds with hoarse appalling murmur on the astonished 
 ears of the desponding foreigners, environed with the 
 shades of destruction ; again the dingy object is lost in 
 the obscuring gust of descending vapour ; again, the jar- 
 ring din of rock-split waves is drowned in the furious 
 discharge of rattling hail, as the vast etherial magazine 
 expends its hoary ammunition on the labouring hulk. 
 But though the eyes may be gulled by delusive shadows 
 and the ears by deceptive sounds, man possesses a seiise 
 of more extensive dominion that is less vulnerable to the 
 sleight of deception; and this erelong gave fearful evi- 
 dence of the impending doom, in its awful reality. The 
 mariners, lost in a labyrinth of perils, stiffened with cold
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 143 
 
 and paralysed with hopeless terror, stared on each other 
 with fixed, foreboding eyes, fraught with dire expressions 
 of internal anguish ; while the vessel, restive and unman- 
 ageable, reeled and pitched, plunged and tumbled, alter- 
 nately buoyed on the ridge of a mountain billow, and 
 smothered in the furious surf of a bursting wave, goaded 
 and impelled by the frenzied elements, till, in an unknown 
 region, she bulges with impetuous violence against the 
 craggy cliffs that skirt the island. The collision was 
 frightfully decisive, and rending were the shrieks of 
 despair that blended and competed with the jarring din 
 of the elemental war. By the first disastrous shock many 
 were suddenly precipitated into the raging abyss, and the 
 rest of the hapless Spaniards were thrown prostrate on 
 the severing planks of the deck. Transient, indeed, was 
 the intervening space ere the powerful iron-bound vessel 
 was rent into a thousand fragments, and the rugged coast 
 bestrewed with the wrecks of humanity, and other traces 
 of hideous devastation. One of the principal officers and 
 his wife having made a hairbreadth escape by clinging 
 to a portion of the wreck, were discovered in the morn 
 ing ensconced in the shelter of a projecting cliff; though 
 apparently senseless, and motionless as their flinty covert, 
 they still exhibited the symptoms of animation, the expir- 
 ing embers of vitality. Tlieir distressful situation at once 
 aroused and excited the glowing sympathies of the kind- 
 hearted hospitable islanders, who emulated each other in 
 their attentions and deeds of humanity to the unfortunate 
 strangers. Thus cherished by the milk of human kind- 
 ness, flowing in artless purity from Scottish bosoms, the 
 languid glimmerings of life's sickly taper again revived 
 and shone forth with undiminished lustre ; and despite 
 the petty jealousies, the hostile feelings that the unhal- 
 lowed ambition of crowned heads frequently inspire into 
 the hearts of their subjects, rendering man inimical to
 
 144 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 man, here every paltry prejudice merged in the amiable 
 exercise of genuine benevolence. Through the friendly 
 interposition of one of the monks of Saint Augustine, 
 then located in the island, a passport was procured for 
 the shipwrecked unfortunates, by which they were again 
 transported, without molestation, to their own kingdom, 
 laden with the unaffected benedictions of the few isolated 
 Scots on whose little sea-girt dominion they had been 
 thrown by the ruthless, the fatal tempest. 
 
 About two years subsequent to this disastrous event, a 
 merchant- vessel, belonging to the East Coast of Fife, was 
 unfortunately taken by the enemy, and carried into 
 Cadiz. The defenceless captives stared at each other 
 with the glistening eyes of despondency, having nothing 
 in view but a sudden transit to the invisible world by the 
 horrid apparatus of the executioner, or a lingering death 
 within the gloomy precincts of a rayless dungeon. Under 
 such torturing apprehensions, how overwhelming were 
 the tidings, that, after a period of painful conjecture, of 
 tormenting suspense, saluted their astonished ears ! A 
 courier, specially commissioned by the Court, delivered 
 to them a passport in the King's name, with instructions 
 to provide themselves with provisions, and depart in 
 peace to their own country. Knowing the antipathy 
 that then subsisted betwixt the two nations, that beings 
 from this remote section of the world, possessing neither 
 power nor influence (and withal esteemed hostile), should 
 have been thus generously treated, may seem tinged 
 with a hue of the marvellous. So does every peculiar 
 effect, when it appears without its productive cause. The 
 identical shipwrecked officer who had experienced the 
 warm hospitality of the Scottish hearts on the Island of 
 May, having been apprized of the capture of the Scotch 
 vessel, his bosom heaves with swelling emotion, and his 
 heart bounded with delight at the prospect afforded of
 
 CF THK ISI.AXD OF MAY. 145 
 
 returning the unmerited kindness bestowed upon him in 
 the season of extreme adversity ; and standing high in 
 the fickle scale of royal favour, with the flame of grati- 
 tude blazing and thrilling and glowing in his breast, he 
 procured admission into the presence of the Sovereign, 
 and besought the royal clemency in favour of the hapless 
 Caledonian captives. So emphatic were the terms in 
 which he eulogised the characteristic hospitalit}', the 
 friendly disposition of Scotland towards the subjects of 
 his empire, and such was the irresistible ardour of his 
 appeal on behalf of the Scotch prisoners, that the flinty 
 heart of tyranny melted like wax before the scorching 
 beams of the flaming sun; and this intercession, prompted 
 by a pure sense of gratitude, resulted in perfect success, 
 and procured the release, as above related. Thus unex- 
 pectedly freed from the trammels of foreign bondage, 
 those sons of Scotia ere long revisited their native shores, 
 as men awaked from the slumbers of the tomb. Meikle 
 wonder, profound amazement, lofty strains of rejoicing 
 pervaded the entire East Coast, from Fife Ness to the Blue 
 Stone of Largo, on the mysterious restoration of the lost 
 ship and crew, who knew not, at the time, how their 
 liberation had been effected. 
 
 " A grateful mind, by owing, owes not, but 
 Still pays at once indebted and discharged." 
 
 After this brilliant manifestation of gratitude (a prin- 
 ciple that ever adorns the human character, in whatever 
 region of the world it appears), the great globe had 
 scarcely completed five entire circuits round its orbit, 
 when the supposed invincible armada of Spain, designed 
 to invade the British empire, launched forth on its hostile 
 mission. A universal dread diffused itself over every 
 section of these northern dominions ; the defensive powers 
 were mustered in every quarter to guard their respective
 
 146 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 positions ; all were incited to vigilance and heroic cour- 
 age by the heart-stirring harangues of their leaders, and 
 even by the melting strains of female eloquence flowing 
 from the mouth of royalty itself; and in all churches, the 
 interposition of the Deity was earnestly invoked to avert 
 the impending scourge that, with menacing aspect, hung 
 over these devoted realms. The proud, the formidable 
 navy of Spanish galiots, impelled by the rude winds of 
 aggressive ambition, now bounds with majestic prow over 
 the ridgy surface of the saline deep, fraught with the 
 infernal design of invasion, rapine, storm, and carnage ; 
 and laden with the engines of war and elements of 
 destruction, with inflated canvas and fiendish hearts, 
 burning with an ardent thirst of conquest, they speed 
 apace to the execution of their unhallowed project, surer 
 to prosper than prosperity could have assured them ; but 
 how vain, empty, and void oft proves the insolent boast 
 of assailants while vested and accoutred with the harness 
 of war ! The castles, towers, and heaving mountains 
 that diversify the envied object of assault had just exhi- 
 bited their diminished heads, emerging in the distance 
 and looming imperfectly on their eager eyes, when, lo ! 
 what a horror of amazement, what a tempest of conster- 
 nation, interrupt the stream of transport, the flood of 
 dazzling success, that flowed untainted in their bosom 
 cherishing the bold aspirations of pride and boundless 
 presumption ! The shores of Albion they were destined 
 to touch and tread not with invading triumph, but with 
 prostrate humility, supplicating the clemency of those 
 identical beings and the hospitality of those regions 
 whose death and subjugation they aimed to accom- 
 plish. Sudden as the electric flash illumes the night- 
 wrapt sky, the elements of nature, governed by some 
 invisible impulse, burst forth with all the ruthless 
 vigour of envenomed rage ; the raving hurricane, the
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 147 
 
 mshing torrent, the rolling, bursting billows, in direful 
 union leagued, diffused dismay and dread confusion 
 through the ponderous fleet. That fleet which just the 
 morn before appeared in proud array reflected in the 
 clouds of heaven now what a spectacle of fell reverse ! 
 Behold, the great armada plunged into wild disorder, toss- 
 ing and tumbling, dashing and jostling each other, resist- 
 ing all control save the potent influence of the furious tem- 
 pest ! Thus environed with the gloomy shades of impend- 
 ing fate, involved 1 in the horrors of midnight darkness, 
 apparently in the centre of a convulsed universe of yawn- 
 ing perils, could the heart of hostility itself deny a faint 
 response of sympathy ? But it was only in certain quar- 
 ters where this feeble tribute was conceded. This multi- 
 farious squadron, that left their own domains buoyed on 
 the proud wing of invading purpose, was ultimately 
 dashed in shipwrecked helplessness on the shores devoted 
 as the subjects of their unsparing vengeance, and the 
 English, the Scots, and Hibernians beheld the inveterate 
 foe landing on their coasts, humbled in the peaceful pros- 
 tration of death. Those who escaped the dangers of the 
 sea were in general subjected to severe hardships on 
 account of their hostile mission, being either imprisoned 
 or put to death without quarter. 
 
 It most fortunately happened, however, for one of the 
 Spanish galiots that, in the midst of the disastrous tem- 
 pest, she was driven by some benign influence into the 
 port of Anstruther. Here, the shipwrecked mariners 
 were as utter strangers to the soil on which they trode, 
 as demure and bewildered as if they had been thrown 
 on some nameless island of savage inhabitants amid the 
 slumbering waters of the great Pacific ; but themselves 
 being actuated by a violent spirit of invading hostility 
 towards their fellow -mortals, they naturally concluded 
 that their lot was cast in a region of enemies ready to
 
 148 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 act on the merciless principle of retaliation ; and the 
 Spanish commander being conducted into the presence- 
 chamber of the bailies and minister, in the bending 
 attitude of a suppliant, prefers his humble suit. 
 
 As representative of all the sailors and soldiers under 
 his auspices, he places all at the disposal of the civic 
 authorities life, life alone was the burden of his peti- 
 tion, the plea for which he hopelessly sued. The bailies 
 in the meantime ordered kail and parritch to be prepared 
 for the whole company, and that they be detained till 
 his Lordship of Anstruther, resident in the castle of 
 Drill, should signify his will and pleasure regarding 
 them. Memory now began to recall from the shades of 
 the past the entire circumstances connected with the 
 capture of the ship and crew belonging to that port, the 
 humane treatment they received from a foreign enemy, 
 and their unexpected liberation, as formerly referred to. 
 This rekindled the glow of gratitude in the bosom of 
 every inhabitant of Anstruther, and it was brilliantly 
 manifested by every conceivable act of pure hospitality 
 and unfeigned benevolence towards the shipwrecked 
 enemies of their country. By application to the reign- 
 ing monarch of Scotland for the time being, a passport 
 was granted to carry them beyond the bounds of his 
 dominions, and they accordingly departed in peace, 
 being more effectually subdued by the kindness of 
 enemies than ever mortals were mortified by the treach- 
 ery of friends. The pernicious effects of war have been 
 amply experienced in every age of the world, being 
 always decisive in the suppression of national intercourse, 
 the subversion of commerce, and the consequent ruin of 
 empires; the persons and property of the subjects, whether 
 by land or sea, are incessantly encompassed with hideous 
 perils in a thousand shapes; and that tranquillity of mind 
 arising from conscious security, never glows in the bosom
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 149 
 
 ofthe subject, never pervades the veins of a hostile 
 nation. The shattered fragments of the vanquished 
 armada having returned in safety to their own country, 
 the identical hoary-headed Spanish commander who 
 appeared as an humble suppliant before the bailies of 
 Anstruther, there discovered another vessel belonging to 
 that port, that had recently been seized and arrested by 
 the Spanish Government. No time was lost in the dis- 
 charge of those duties that flowed from a lively sense of 
 gratitude, and, in the presence of his Sovereign, no lan- 
 guage was spared in eulogising the Scottish nation, till 
 he ultimately prevailed over the hostile prejudices of the 
 King, and procured the release of the captives. These 
 particulars are gleaned from ancient records, and here 
 adverted to merely on account of the prime cause of the 
 admirable principle of reciprocating gratitude, having its 
 origin in the Island of May, as already described. Thus 
 frustrated in the purpose of their barbarous mission, and 
 overpowered by the melting kindness of their fellow-men, 
 whom grasping ambition had doomed to slaughter or 
 slavery, the subdued foreigners blushed, admired, and 
 wept. 
 
 Curs'd be that thirst of power that reigns in regal hearts, 
 And man to man a feeling of hostility imparts. 
 
 " Now, ye round heads, and crowned heads, attend to those strains, 
 Ye clear heads, and queer heads, and heads without brains ; 
 Ye thick skulls, and quick skulls, and heads great and small, 
 And ye heads that aspire to be heads over all." 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 SOMEWHERE about the second quarter of the sixteenth 
 century, John Rowel, who is said to have been of Ger-
 
 1 50 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 man extraction and allied to the monks of St Augustine, 
 had his monastic residence in the Island of May, the 
 ruins of which being still visible. This exalted person- 
 age, by certain peculiar qualities inherent in himself, 
 obtained an eminent place in the royal favour of the 
 reigning Sovereign, who, in consequence, conferred on 
 him many distinguishing powers, privileges, and immu- 
 nities. Under the wanning influence and fertilizing 
 dews of royal favour, which fawning flatterers alone 
 were then privileged to enjoy, he was transferred from 
 his isolated residence, and constituted Prior of Pitten- 
 weem, and placed in full possession of chartered revenues, 
 amounting to five hundred pounds sterling, or upwards, 
 per annum. He was likewise created one of the Lords 
 of Session, and entitled to all the emoluments belonging 
 to that dignified situation of exalted importance. The 
 prior had a pinnace of rather peculiar construction, but 
 fitted out according to the antiquated elegance of those 
 times. By means of this vessel, which was propelled by 
 four oars, a periodical correspondence was regularly main- 
 tained between the priorists of Pittenweem and the mon- 
 astics on the island. And as the prior was subjected to 
 the payment of no port charges, by a charter granted to 
 him by the burgh of Pittenweem, it is imperatively 
 declared that the sum of five pounds, lawful money of 
 Scotland, shall be annually paid to that burgh from the 
 revenues pertaining to the monks of Saint Augustine 
 holding orders in the city of St Andrews, and the same 
 to be applied in repairing and upholding the bulwarks. 
 A miniature representation of the prior's pinnace was in 
 16J5 emblazoned on the town's seal and public cross of 
 the burgh, by decree of the Lyon King of Arms, whereof 
 an extract is here subjoined : 
 
 To all and sundHe whom it effeirs, I, Sir Charles Araskine of 
 Cambo, baronet, Lyon King of Arms, Considering that be severall
 
 OF THE ISIAND OF MAY. 151 
 
 acts of parliament, also weell of our soveraigne Lord Charles the 
 Second, be the grace of God, King of Scotland, England, France, 
 and Ireland, defender of the faith ; as of his majesties royall pre- 
 dicessors, especiallie be the twentie-one act of the third session of 
 the Second Parliament of his said Majestic, now current, I am 
 irupowered to visit the wholl armes and bearings within this king- 
 dome, and to distinguish them and matriculate the same in my 
 books and registers, and to give armes to vertuous persons ; and 
 extracts of all armes ; expressing the blazoning thereof under my 
 hand and seall of office, and which register is to be the forecited 
 act ordained to be respected as the true and unrepeallable rule of 
 all armes and bearings in Scotland, to remain with the Lyon's 
 office as apublict register of the kingdome : Therefore, conformeto 
 the power given to me be his sacred Majestic, and according to the 
 tenors of the said acts of parliament, I testifie and make knowen 
 that the arrnes of old belonging to the royall burgh of Pettinweem, 
 and now confirmed be me, are matriculate in my said publict regi- 
 ster, upon the day and dait of ther presents, and is thus blazoned, 
 viz. The said Royall Burgh of Pettinween gives for ensignes 
 armoriall, azure in the sea, a gallie with her oars in action, argent 
 and therein standing the figur of St Adrian, with long garments 
 closs girt, and a mitre on his head proper ; holding in his sinister 
 hand a crosier, or on the stern a flag disveloped argent, charged 
 with the royall armes of Scotland, with this word Deo duce: Which 
 armes above blazoned, I hereby declare to have been and to be the 
 true and unrepeallable signes armoriall of the burgh royall above- 
 named forever. In testimonie whereof I have subscribed this ex- 
 tract with my hand and have caused append my seall of office 
 thereto. Given at Edinburgh the Second day of August, and of 
 our said soveraigne Lord's reigne the twentie-fyft year, 1673. 
 
 (Signed) OH : ARASKJNE, 
 
 Lyon. 
 
 At this period not only the priory but the burgh itself 
 was invulnerably secured at every accessible point by 
 massive gates and bars, so that neither ingress nor egress 
 was practicable after the sun's descent below the horizon 
 had given place to the shades of night, until his reappear- 
 ance in the orient skies had dissipated the surrounding 
 gloom and chased away the louring terrors of the night. 
 The conventuals in the priory, however, always enjoyed
 
 152 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 the freedom of access through the medium of a subter- 
 raneous passage extending from thence in a southward 
 direction, and terminating under the frowning brow of a 
 precipitous rock, close by the full sea. Although the 
 southern extremity of this subterraneous passage presents 
 the appearance of a small natural cove or petty weem 
 (whence the burgh probably derived its name), the craft 
 of the civil engineer is more visibly displayed throughout 
 its entire construction than the wonderful operations of 
 nature. In this avenue of Stygian gloom, this infernal 
 region of barbarism, this porch of pandemonium, were 
 two rooms or catacombs considerably apart from each 
 other; these dismal abodes stand registered in the volume 
 of tradition as theatres of flagrant iniquity and savage 
 cruelty, eminently calculated to reflect eternal disgrace 
 on the human character scenes only outrivalled in 
 horror by the more modern barbarities ascribed to the 
 gorgeous Inquisition at Madrid, which was ransacked by 
 the forces of Napoleon, and as a speck that mars the 
 beauty of creation exterminated and erased from the 
 annals of existence ; and as crime and terror have always 
 been inseparable companions, these horrid associations 
 have, through a long series of ages, rendered this cove an 
 object of dire terror to the timid soul. The youngsters, 
 with quaking hearts, have fled with rapid pace from its 
 fell vicinity, under the awful impression that they had 
 either seen or heard the deil ; even the gruesome carl .of 
 nameless antiquity, thai first assumed the pulpit and the 
 bench, as the expounder of the law and interpreter of 
 prophecy to man in the blest abodes of primitive inno- 
 cence nay, there was the arch-foe of heaven and earth 
 rendered visible or audible,' staring with horrid grimace 
 through the time-rent fissures of the rock- work, or growl- 
 ing, rustling, or rumbling in the rayless chambers of the 
 dreary cavern. This subterranean solitude has through
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 153 
 
 a waste of dark ages teemed with dreadful sights and 
 appalling sounds, the baseless brood of fancy ; and in 
 numerous instances, the dazzling glare of the nineteenth 
 century is utterly incompetent to dissipate the gloom 
 created by these false terrors in the comparatively 
 enlightened mind. And still, when wrapt in the dusky 
 mantle of night, mature age, not less than the timid 
 youth, accomplish their purposed mission by a circuitous 
 journey, rather than approach this reputed den of every 
 ghastly existence. In connection with this gloomy rock- 
 bound cavern, tradition records a remarkable event, pur- 
 porting to have occurred about the second quarter of the 
 sixteenth century. Such was the despotic influence which 
 priestcraft at that period exercised over the enslaved 
 faculties of rational, immortal humanity, warpt, entangled, 
 and bewildered in a mazy jungle of superstition, that 
 monkish hypocrisy was estimated as genuine piety, and 
 all who appeared habited in the sacred vestments were 
 revered and adored as incarnate divinities The matri- 
 monial union was esteemed wholly incompatible with the 
 sanctity of the priestly office, and too profane an insti- 
 tution to be observed by beings so pious, so divine. With 
 such profound ingenuity did hypocrisy weave the decep- 
 tive mantle, and with such dexterity did she therewith 
 envelope her unhallowed progeny, that the most piercing 
 vision was unable to descry a human shadow through 
 the foil of affected divinity ; nay, such was the specious 
 disguise studiously assumed by every personification of 
 priestcraft, that, as the beautiful, the blooming Shunna- 
 mite was placed in the royal bosom of the eastern, min- 
 strel, to sooth and cherish his declining years, even the 
 fond indulgent parent, under the delusive influence, could 
 have placed his only daughter, suffused with the modest 
 smiles of blushing virginity, in as close contact there- 
 with, impressed with the firm conviction that she would
 
 154 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 be restored to the home of her birth untainted by the 
 pestiferous breath of cupidity and untarnished by the 
 foul touch of unhallowed passion. Alas ! what deplor- 
 able delusion ! Priestcraft has never been aught but a 
 deep concerted system of base, bewildering, soul-enslav- 
 ing policy, involving its hapless votaries in a labyrinth 
 of mystifying vapour and degrading ignorance, deeper 
 and more solid than Egyptian darkness. Whatever were 
 the state and condition of the rational world at that 
 remote period, here it is by no means concluded that the 
 former days were worse than these ; for in every age and 
 clime, where priestcraft has acquired absolute ascendency 
 over the souls and bodies of men, intellectual thraldom 
 has ever accompanied its shadow and constituted its 
 most prominent feature. And, however ingenious the 
 imposture or strikingly perfect the counterfeit stamp, 
 however thick, or dark, or impervious to human vision 
 may be the veil in which the being is wrapt, the man is 
 still the man, and the priest is the man still ; nay, more, 
 how frequently does it occur, both in the natural and 
 moral world, that the most pernicious qualities are found 
 ensconced in the fairest, the most attractive, and least 
 suspicious exterior, as here exemplified ! 
 
 At the period from which tradition dates this narra- 
 tive, the priory enjoyed immense revenues, possessed 
 extensive influence, and exercised unbounded jurisdiction 
 over the entire district, both in civil and ecclesiastical 
 matters. It was then inhabited by a junto of monkish 
 conventuals, profoundly erudite in all the stratagems, 
 wiles, and intrigues of rampant feudalism, and under the 
 deep mask of religion, were themselves the shrouded 
 actors in many a horrid drama. Muffled in the shades 
 of obscurity, and immured in subterranean darkness, the 
 sickening scenes enacted in those dreary catacombs, how- 
 ever revolting their contemplation to a rightly-consti-
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 155 
 
 tuted mind, were perfectly in keeping with the spirit of 
 that licentious age. It has been pertinently expressed 
 in allegory, that " hedges have eyes and rocks themselves 
 have ears ;" and were these witnesses likewise endued 
 with the faculty of speech, fell and dreadful were the horrid 
 disclosures. The sudden and mysterious disappearance 
 of respectable females, in whom were concentrated all 
 the charms of youth and beauty, was a circumstance of 
 no singular occurrence ; again and again had the tender 
 parent been constrained to endure the bitter poignancy 
 of grief, and spend his days and years in the agonising 
 gloom of suspense on, account of such unaccountable 
 bereavements. Oft was the entire district immer- 
 sed in a fathomless ocean of perplexing wonderment, 
 involved in a labyrinth of dubious conjecture, warpt in 
 the tangles of interminable speculation, and bewildered 
 amid the heights and depths, the clouds and mystifying 
 vapours of the wild imagination. Even the town-crier 
 enjoyed the privilege of dipping his official finger in the 
 motley stew, and neither his dinsome vocation nor his 
 burghal emoluments sustained any diminution from those 
 marvellous elopements. But all continued wrapt in the 
 haze of inextricable dubiety, till the oblivious waves of 
 time gradually effaced their deep-struck, indelible im- 
 pressions. To unravel these mazes of dire perplexity, 
 the most unwearied research, the most industrious scru- 
 tiny, the most persevering vigilance, all resulted in a 
 total failure. No glimmering star shot a chequering ray 
 through the vista of mystery no transpiring radiance 
 ever emerged from the distant horizon, to dissipate the 
 bewildering haze in which these elopements were wrapt ; 
 and the hapless fate of the blooming damsels still re- 
 mained locked up in the rayless darkness of death, in 
 silence unbroken, settled and profound, as it reigns in the 
 chambers of the tomb.
 
 156 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 There is a certain portion of time, annually described 
 by the revolving pinions of the great universal chrono- 
 meter, when the sovereign of day, while he burns in all 
 his majestic splendour in the southern hemisphere, shoots 
 but a transient glance, feeble and oblique on the heath- 
 clad heights of Caledonia ; whilst in the glens of peace- 
 ful solitude, the flowery meads, and the fertile valleys, 
 prostrate nature, withered and lifeless, partakes no cheer- 
 ing glimpse of his enlivening influence. Here reigns a 
 successive series of raging storms, chilling damps, dreary 
 darkness ; a bleak uncourteous season, dull, gloomy, and 
 heartless to all, save those whose brilliant, whose unin- 
 terrupted flow of animal spirits, supplies a continual 
 feast to the happy possessors. 'Twas in the very depth 
 of this uninviting, this cheerless, inhospitable season, 
 when the vegetable empire, through its wide domains, 
 lay slumbering in dead sterility beneath the frowning 
 aspect of ungenial heavens, that Betsy Smith, just step- 
 ping from the extreme round of her teens, all unsus- 
 pecting, artless and lovely, plighted her troth to visit the 
 dwelling of a friend, and there enjoy the Christmas eve 
 in lightsome frolic and innocent pleasantry, with a select 
 few of her blooming peers. Betsy was the only daughter 
 of a respectable merchant residing on the identical spot, 
 if not in the same house, which was subsequently ren- 
 dered classical on account of the part assigned it in the 
 Porteous mob. 
 
 The great fountain of light had terminated his short- 
 lived career in these bleak inclement skies, and with- 
 drawn his vital influence from the hoary mountains, the 
 rifled forests, and the dead cold earth, deluged with the 
 torrents of winter. The expiring moon, worn to the 
 veriest crescent, ceased to illumine the murky horizon of 
 eve, and in full aspect was dispensing her pallid beams 
 over the uncultured wilds, the savage solitudes, the
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 157 
 
 tinblest abodes of the tyrant and slave, where bears and 
 tigers roam. The sparkling stars, that traverse the 
 ocean of infinitude, concealed their thousand twinkling 
 eyes behind a densely woven veil of congregated vapour ; 
 and night profound, clothed in sackcloth of rayless 
 majesty, wielded her cheerless sceptre over the favoured 
 land of the free. Such were the external circumstances, 
 such the dreary prospect under which our heroine, all 
 unsuspecting, artless and lovely, quitted the comforts of 
 the domestic hearth, the security of a happy home, and 
 the enlivening smiles of parental affection, to implement 
 a previous pledge, and enjoy the social intercourse of 
 kindred spirits. As she wended her way through the 
 Coif-gate,* selecting her footsteps by the aid of a glim- 
 mering torch, secured from the surly atmosphere in a 
 casement of horn, the distant tread of some benighted 
 being fell softly on her ears. This surmise resulted in 
 no wild freak of the timid imagination, no deceptive 
 whisper of the affrighted fancy. In a transient space, 
 fraught with conjecture, a well-known visage loomed in 
 full prospect upon her humid vision, and the soft accents 
 of a familiar voice saluted her listening ears, ever ready 
 to imbibe the tale of misery, as well as the bounding 
 vibrations of heart-felt joy ; with rivetted attention she 
 harkened to the plaintive voice of feigned embarrass- 
 ment, conceived in a heart pregnant with villany, and 
 delivered by a mouth better fitted to vent the sulphurous 
 fumes of perdition, than proclaim to rational beings the 
 precious tidings of celestial love. Marvel not at these 
 peculiar expressions : consult the history of the world 
 since the commencement of the ecclesiastical era; and, 
 when the hero here introduced is exhibited in the cha- 
 
 * A sequestered alley on the north side of the hurgh, now known 
 by the name of the Routine Eow. 

 
 158 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 ractcr and costume of a priest, the black catastrophe, 
 though yet undeveloped, will flash on the unprejudiced 
 mind with the perspicuity of a sunbeam yes ; a walk- 
 ing image of divinity a disguised fiend in the sheep's 
 clothing of innocence a professed ambassador from the 
 court of heaven an arch -confederate with the powers 
 of hell. This wonderful compound of incongruous quali- 
 ties, this amazing concurrence of discordant elements, is 
 by no means to be regarded as a novelty in creation, 
 expressly summoned into existence for the accomplish- 
 ment of a special purpose ; neither is-such to be contem- 
 plated as some supernatural being, admitting no prece- 
 dent or subsequent, but mysteriously transferred from a dis- 
 tant planet merely to perform a singular part in the drama 
 of human life. How glorious were it, indeed, for every 
 department of society how happy for man's social inter- 
 course with man, did such a position find a basis in the 
 world ! But the blood-stained annals of antiquity, the 
 unamiable pictures displayed in dismal retrospect, and 
 the hideous colours incessantly reflected in the mirror of 
 modern experience, establish the fell reverse. Every age 
 of the world, every successive generation of mortals, from 
 the Babel of Shinar to the curfew-knell of yesterday, has 
 produced its monstrous incongruities, its prodigies of vice 
 gilded with the foil of virtue, its satanic incarnations dis- 
 playing the stamp of divinity. And never was the gul- 
 lible fortress of humanity more successfully attacked 
 than by the subtile craft ensconced in the sable uniform 
 and environed with a halo of apparent piety. This is the 
 shibboleth by which all suspicion is ingeniously averted, 
 and under the shadow of which every species of knavery, 
 crimes of every shade and magnitude, often maintain a 
 protracted invisible existence. How many ages have 
 rolled down the dark stream of oblivion since the golden 
 calf was worshipped at the base of the sacred mountain,
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 159 
 
 and yet it has its irresistible charms. In this, the philo- 
 sophy that no substance can possibly be annihilated, is 
 peculiarly supported ; for although this marvellous 
 metamorphose of Egyptian trinkets, this glittering, 
 cloven-footed divinity, was consumed by the same 
 element that produced it, another and another, like the 
 fabulous Phoenix, in a line of interminable succession, 
 have emerged from its ashes. Although the priest, 
 whose desperate device, like a raving hurricane descend- 
 ing on the placid bosom of an unruffled lake, disturbed 
 the equanimity of meekness itself, inducing a catastrophe 
 by which the entire decalogue, new from the finger of 
 Heaven, was converted into a mass of irreparable ruins ; 
 yes, although the clerical founder, who first bowed to his 
 own, his deified calf, has long since merged into his 
 humble origin, there have existed amongst his successors, 
 in every age and clime, multitudes who, when the dul- 
 cimer of patronage is sounded, are ready to prostrate 
 themselves at the foot of the golden image. Taught to 
 esteem themselves as a superior order of beings, designed 
 by Heaven to enjoy the unqualified veneration or semi- 
 worship of a confiding world, and flattered into a belief 
 that theirs is the prerogative to control the destinies of 
 man, with what amazing self-complacency do they 
 assume the god, and, from their imaginary eminence, 
 hurl with relentless fury the hot thunderbolts of Divine 
 vengeance on the devoted heads of all that dare to hazard 
 a glance of opposition.* Respectfully abating the pious 
 
 * Lest tliis should be considered an overwrought description of 
 the peculiar texture of the cloth, a corroborative evidence may be 
 quoted from a parochial pulpit on the East Coast of Fife, in the 
 nineteenth century. The parson having been subjected to a cer- 
 tain portion of out-door opposition, took advantage of his pulpit pri- 
 vilege to avenge himself of the indignity ; and after a half-hour's 
 indiscriminate belabouring, he adjusted his wig, fixed a brace of
 
 160 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 exceptions (comparatively few), how transcendently 
 beautiful do the solemn principles of religion dangle like 
 golden apples at the point of their tongue ! while their 
 brightest, their most exalted motives, are all absorbed in 
 the alluring splendours of the benefice, and their noblest 
 aims, in a life of luxurious ease or licentious indulgence. 
 But, waving this unpleasant digression, let us return 
 to the Coif-gate, and there, for a moment, by the faint 
 illumination of her own lanthorn, contemplate the lovely 
 fair one, the bonnie blooming Betsy, listening to the soft 
 seductive breathings of the monkish vampire here, in 
 single solitude, where no finite ear besides, susceptible of 
 woe, receives the accents of unbounded distress ; no heart, 
 besides, in tender, soothing sympathy, responds, confides, 
 obeys none but Betsy, Just like her maternal original, 
 imbibing the fallacious logic of the arch-apostate, bask- 
 ing amid the fragrant bowers the nectarine groves the 
 ambrosial sweets of paradise, how swells her innocent 
 bosom with tender emotions of mingled pity and respect I 
 how does the thrill of genuine sympathy vibrate on 
 every chord of her heart, every spring of her tender affec- 
 tions ! how do her glistening eyes, swimming amid the 
 limpid dews of compassion, express the undisguised feel- 
 ings of her bosom ! how suddenly is every smirking 
 feature lost amid the gloomy shades, the dark distended 
 lines of melancholy ! every towering thought of gay 
 delight solved In the crucible of grave concern for the 
 child of Heaven ! how is her whole soul warpt in the 
 cords of sympathy, while thus in melting strains he pours 
 his misery into her listening ears ! 
 
 indignant eyes on his principal opponent, and gave vent to his 
 choler in the following beautiful apostrophe " And you, sir, what 
 would you think if I was to open the flood-gates of hell upon you, 
 and in an instant sweep you headlong into the gulf of perdition ? I 
 say, sir, if you will be devilish, &# devilish ; and if you wish to be 
 d d, go be d d, but don't meddle with my work.''
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY, 161 
 
 " Gracious Heaven ! What transcendent mercy ? 
 what divine interposition is this ? what ? but a repeti- 
 tion of the miraculous pillar of fire in exact similitude. 
 And can the object who bears it belong to the realms of 
 terrestrial existence ? a creature of earth, the last fair 
 work of Heaven ? Nay, rather does my disordered 
 vision, bewildered under a horror of darkness, deceive my 
 reeling reason, delude my intellectuals, and involve the 
 noblest faculties of the soul in a tangly net-work of 
 ravelled perplexity : or, have the wild errant vagaries of 
 disordered fancy subdued the citadel of reason, invaded 
 the province of judgment, and usurped the golden sceptre 
 of absolute dominion over the entire image of Deity ? 
 What astounding vision ! what an overwhelming mys- 
 tery is this ! Are mortal eyes again permitted to behold 
 an immortal substance, a seraph from the regions of celes- 
 tial purity ? Is the eternal anthem in heaven marred, 
 dismembered, or suspended for the sake of a servant 
 beneath, still habited in a vestment of dust, that, from 
 the sacred choir, I am privileged with the view of this 
 angelic denizen of yonder glorious realm of felicity ? or, 
 in very deed, has the irresistible influence of the hallowed 
 mass unbarred the portals of purgatory, and, from the 
 mysterious region of Hades, recalled to the scene of pro- 
 bation a shade of departed humanity ? How dreadful is 
 this place ! How are the joints of my loins loosened, and 
 every muscle, every bone, nerve, and sinew relaxed ! How 
 is my fancied fountain of celestial solace become a source 
 of perplexing disquietude ! Mine is the position of 
 Israel's primitive sovereign, trembling before the prophet's 
 apparition, though such only realized the desire of his 
 infatuated heart. How reels my astonished soul on the 
 tremendous precipice of invisible existences ! The gleam 
 of Divine wisdom, overwhelmed in a dark tempestuous 
 ocean of romantic conjecture, and warpt in a mazy jungle, 
 o 2
 
 162 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 a boundless labyrinth of appalling imagery ; but it 
 breathes, it sighs, it coughs ! What ? can it possibly be a 
 real combination of tangible atoms, still acknowledging 
 the sceptre of time still destined to soothe the sorrows 
 of man, as he plods his weary way through the rugged 
 pilgrimage of life ? This is all within the precincts of 
 possibility ; but how does my quaking heart shrink back 
 from the resolve, and my trembling hand from the act of 
 proving by a sensible evidence !" 
 
 Thus, the benighted monk continued a sort of raving 
 soliloquy, with his envenomed eyes rivetted on the visage 
 of the astonished damsel, which changed colour like the 
 bounding dolphin dragged from its native element, and 
 expiring beneath the scorching radiance of the sun. Her 
 lovely eyes glistened with intense interest, and every fea- 
 ture wore the expressive symptoms of deep internal emo- 
 tion. And having wound up her feelings to a certain 
 pitch of excitement, he paused, and affecting to have made 
 A discovery, he thus, in a different strain, resumed his 
 deceptive oration : 
 
 44 Inscrutable mystery ! What a marvellous revela- 
 tion ! what a vivid glimpse of supernatural light has 
 flashed on my deceitful vision ! What ? Betsy Smith ! 
 the identical Betsy Smith ! Precious image of the 
 Blessed Virgin, divinely commissioned to rescue the 
 ambassador of Heaven from the dire dilemna in which, 
 by some severity of fate, he has been mystically involved ! 
 Here is no treacherous Delilah, no deceitful Jael present- 
 ing butter in a lordly dish, while the nail and hammer, 
 the instruments of death, were in readiness to seal the 
 doom of the unwary, the exhausted fugitive ! Blessed 
 creature highly favoured emblem of artless innocence 
 whither wanderest thou ? In what sequestered region 
 of the fallen world are mine eyes privileged to behold 
 thee, the solace of my desponding soul ? Here have I
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 1 63 
 
 strayed for a period of tedious duration, under a total 
 suspension of all my recollective faculties, environed with 
 a thousand imaginary pitfalls controlled by Satanic incan- 
 tation, and wrapt in a dismal horror of darkness, only 
 equalled by the solid gloom that once enveloped the 
 seven streams of the Nile. The hapless mariner, despoiled 
 of his compass and rudder, and tossed on the rugged 
 bosom of a trackless ocean, was never more distracted, 
 more bewildered than I, the guardian of your immortal 
 spirit. Chilled by the comfortless breath of the ungenial 
 atmosphere, and drenched with the drops of the night, I 
 ehiver like the trembling aspen, and am ready to expire 
 in this theatre of enchantment. But, I pray thee, dispel 
 that lowering cloud of amazement that hangs so heavily 
 on thy visage. Be thine the privilege of a seraph ; go 
 before me with that pillar of fire ; conduct me out of this 
 hideous wilderness, and bring me to the abodes of peace 
 and security ; so shalt thou be blest of the blessed, and 
 bask for ever in the smiles of Heaven." 
 
 This pathetic appeal of the afflicted conventual, pre- 
 ferred with so much apparent sincerity, engaged all the 
 sympathies of her nature, and summoned into lively exer- 
 cise every amiable feeling that usually reflects a divine 
 lustre on the virtuous female character. She at once 
 becomes solicitous for his safety, comfort, and preserva- 
 tion. She bows assent to his request, reverses her loco- 
 motive energies, and proceeds in the van, with her pillar 
 of fire, to conduct the benighted pilgrim to the conse- 
 crated mansions of terrestrial repose. Every rational 
 being, whatever be the nature of the mission on which he 
 embarks, is governed by certain aims and motives, and, 
 however secreted from the ken of mortals, has always 
 some definite object in view ; but, in the present in- 
 stance, though the aims by which both were actuated 
 conduct to one destination, how very different was the
 
 164 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 motive, how opposite the impulses by which they are 
 actuated, whilst wading with dubious step amid the deep 
 surrounding gloom ! how does the guiltless bosom of 
 the faithful leader thrill with the glowing fervour of 
 benevolence ! how expands her heart with the heaven- 
 born flame of delight ! how does every spring of her 
 affections shiver with the sweetest vibrations of transport, 
 on the blest reflection that she, born in nameless obscur- 
 ity, should, by the random throw of fate's mysterious die, 
 be distinguished as a star of comfort in the bleak horizon 
 of life, a refreshing oasis in a wilderness of teazing tur- 
 moil, a world of woes ! Thus on she mused in artless 
 silence, while, guided by the faint flickering taper which 
 she bore, the wily serpent followed in the rear, whetting 
 his envenomed sting to poison her existence, and consum- 
 mate her ruin. In his treacherous breast, how wallowed 
 the foul, the malignant vermin of vicious desires, fostered 
 in the noxious filth of impurity ! how raged the hell- 
 blown fire of licentious passion, as he glanced on the 
 hapless damsel all unconscious of her unenviable position, 
 and the tempest of misery that was rapidly gather- 
 ing around her ! Not a word dropped from his deceit- 
 ful tongue, not a whisper floated on his pestiferous breath, 
 while, with heart-bounding exultation, he followed in the 
 rear of his devoted game. All was mute as the star of 
 midnight, save the light foot-tread of their own fleet 
 heels, impelled by the stirring emotions of pure benevo- 
 lence in the one, and the bounding inflations of fiendish 
 joy in the other. Having reached the confines of the 
 monastic territory, the gate oped, as it were, at his bid- 
 ding, and, in the twinkling of an eye, the monk and his 
 fair pilot were on consecrated ground. He, now exult- 
 ing in the perfect success of his infernal stratagem, throws 
 off the ingenious disguise, and kythes himself in his real 
 stygian colours ; and, by his indecent conduct towards
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 165 
 
 the unsuspecting female, she soon perceived the perilous 
 situation in which she was placed. Every cord of his 
 seductive ingenuity was stretched to the last pitch of 
 endurance, every faculty of his debased soul was exerted 
 to its utmost effort in order to effect a voluntary yielding, 
 a pacific surrender of the citadel of virtue. But, as the 
 isolated rock, securely based in the fathomless abyss of 
 the ocean, remains unshaken while the howling tempest 
 raves with empty menace, and the foaming billows rage 
 with idle fury around it, so stood the blooming Betsy 
 on the high vantage-ground of fixed moral principle, 
 unmoved by the subtle wiles of the alluring tempter, who 
 began to discover that he had reckoned without his host ; 
 and that her open countenance, and communicative free- 
 dom, were by no means indications of simplicity, especi- 
 ally when her virtue, her reputation, her happiness, her 
 all, were in jeopardy and reeling on the precipice of irre- 
 parable ruin. If ever she raised her downcast organs of 
 vision, that swam in tears, it was only to glance on the 
 faithless guardian of her soul the pungent arrows of 
 ineffable contempt and bitter indignation. Thus, per- 
 ceiving the frustration of his malignant hopes, and 
 writhing under the torturing agonies of disappointment, 
 he sprang towards the door as if to afford sudden and 
 indignant egress to the confined captive ; but, alas ! this 
 was but the harbinger of her trials, the vestibule of her 
 misery, the mere prelude to a more insuperable destiny. 
 With the furious demeanour of a maniac, he seized her 
 lanthorn with the one hand and herself with the other, 
 and having dragged the sighing, weeping, emploring 
 female down a steep unknown, consigned her, for the 
 night, to a rock-bound dungeon of dreary darkness, 
 unchequered as the gloom of chaos. The retiring tread 
 of her remorseless oppressor having died upon her ears, 
 all was silence profound as the stillness of the tomb ; not
 
 166 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 a sound was heard from earth, air, or ocean, save the 
 convulsive sighs that heaved her artless bosom, pervad- 
 ing in whispering echoes the" dismal mansions of horror 
 that inclosed its lonely occupant. Here she stood over- 
 whelmed with trembling amazement and shivering 
 terror, till exhausted nature, sinking under the weight of 
 accumulated anguish, imperatively demanded repose ; 
 and committing her cause to that Being whose eye 
 penetrates the hardest rock and the deepest seclusion, 
 and whose benign communications depend not on the 
 intercession of hollow priests, she sank down into a 
 species of disquieted slumber, haunted with a retinue 
 of ghastly visions. 
 
 Since the globe first with vital existence was stored 
 And the planets their bright revolutions began, 
 
 The beasts of the wild in the jangle have roared, 
 But man's greatest foe has existed in man. 
 
 From the high heaving mountains enveloped in snow 
 The torrents have rolled with impetuous sweep 
 
 Have mingled earth's joys with the wailing of woe, 
 And mortals have hushed to perpetual sleep. 
 
 The tempest has raved with unquenchable sway, 
 The thunderS'have roared in the heavens aloud, 
 
 Oft fraught with destruction, and winged with dismay, 
 While death rode in triumph on the bolt from the cloud. 
 
 The belching volcano, the earth rending quake, 
 O'er earth's fairest climes devastation have spread, 
 
 Exhibiting drear in their desolate wake, 
 
 Wide woes for the living, and graves for the dead. 
 
 Tho' animate being, and things without life, 
 
 Fulfilling their Maker's immutable plan, 
 Show nature's wild works still with nature at strife, 
 
 Yet man's most productive of misery to man.
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 167 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 WITH light has ever been associated all that is lovely, 
 inviting, and agreeable ; with darkness, all that is gloomy, 
 frightful, and repugnant to the soul ; and, however fav- 
 ourable the rayless obscurity of night, in its periodical 
 returns, may be to cowardly deeds of rapine, plunder, 
 and spoliation ; and however prized and courted and 
 admired by those man- shaped pests of society, those 
 scourges of creation, those man-destroying villains who 
 exhaust all their ingenuity and expend their every energy 
 in such nefarious pursuits darkness still descends on the 
 civilised Avorld, fraught with a thousand terrors. One 
 grand cause of this torturing disquietude, is " man's 
 inhumanity to man ;" and another is based on the pre- 
 valent belief, that supernatural existences, muffled in the 
 shades of night, traverse the varied climes of earth, ob- 
 truding their grisly forms on the vision of benighted 
 mortals. This is solely the effect of an ancient deep-rooted 
 superstition, which all the philosophy, all the scientific 
 knowledge- of more enlightened modern ages has not 
 been able to eradicate. 
 
 Contemplate now the happy group in which the 
 unfortunate Betsy designed to mingle ; with them, every 
 carping anxiety is absorbed in the flippant jocularity, 
 the brilliant glances of enjoyment, and the bursting laugh 
 that proceeds from kindred hearts, inflated with unclouded 
 joy, basking amid the cheering splendours of social com- 
 fort. Little do they know, and as little do they think of 
 their hapless comrade, immured in dreary solitude within 
 the slimy walls of a subterranean dungeon. Though her 
 sparkling eyes shone not in their assembly though her 
 modest wit contributed not to the strains of pleasantry 
 that pervaded the scene of thrilling animation, such a
 
 168 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 cause of detention lay as remote from their imagination 
 as the earth is from Jupiter. And as it was previously 
 arranged by the select party, to prolong their diversions 
 and visit the bee-garden at midnight, to gratify their 
 fancy by the real or imaginary movement of the hives, 
 which are still said, by the lovers of the marvellous, to 
 celebrate, by a singing commotion, the anniversary of the 
 Divine advent, therefore her protracted absence afforded 
 no cause of parental uneasiness. But, as it frequently 
 occurs when the mariner parleys in fancied security on 
 the fickle bosom of the mighty expanse, with the elements 
 of nature slumbering in placid serenity around him, a 
 dingy speck in the heavens, of no portentous aspect, 
 suddenly expands and explodes in a horrible tempest, 
 overwhelms his little dominion in a chaos of irretrievable 
 ruin, and buries himself in the foam of the angry surf; 
 so the rational mind, unconscious of evil, often enjoys 
 unruffled tranquillity beneath an invisible tempest of 
 impending woe, and basks in treacherous security on the 
 rugged verge of a dismal precipice. Her father, having 
 wound up his mercantile transactions for the day, and 
 unwilling to retire amid the balmy shades of Morpheus 
 until his daughter's return, was lolling at perfect ease 
 in his elbow-chair, and thawing his weary limbs by the 
 gldwing influence of the hearth ; when, lo ! an imper- 
 ceptible stupor stealthily usurped an absolute sway over 
 his entire system, mental and physical, only the wake- 
 ful fancy, scorning restraint, roamed at random over the 
 entire intellectual empire, displaying her fantastic freaks 
 and performing romantic evolutions. In this listless con- 
 dition of passive existence, of dormant energy and sus- 
 pended reason, he dreamed ; and, behold ! in the visions 
 of the night, his only daughter, the sole pledge of his 
 hymeneal vows, appeared in sad, in rueful prospect before 
 him, not exhibiting the well-trimmed habit, the cheerful
 
 OF THK ISLAND OF MAY. 169 
 
 aspect, the buoyant carriage which erewhile she possessed, 
 but all in ghastly dishabille, wringing her hands, tearingher 
 hair, smiting her breast, while the big rolling tears, in rapid 
 succession, streamed from her down-cast eyes. Around 
 her lowered a murky cloud, black and dismal as a tropic 
 thunder-squall, from which emerged an appalling appari- 
 tion, towering like an antediluvian giant, and hideous as 
 the prince of the Stygian domains. In its one hand, 
 appeared an olive-branch in all its native bea.uty and 
 peace-speaking loveliness ; in the other, the coils of a 
 ponderous chain, in clanking accents, rehearsed the 
 tyrant's creed, and ernblemized eternal thraldom. On 
 its one cheek, softly played a smile of angel sweetness ; 
 on the other, lowered the horrid frown of a demon ; 
 whilst from the breast aperture of the huge black mantle 
 in which the spectre was closely enveloped, the death - 
 fraught head of a serpent kythed itself in distinct pro- 
 trusion. The dreaming sire continued staring with dread 
 amazement on the wild creation of fancy, until the lurk- 
 ing snake sprang from the ensconcement, and twined its 
 folds around the neck of his fair progeny. At this 
 instant a piercing shriek of misery, " O, my father !" 
 assailed his sleep-sealed ears, broke through his tempo- 
 rary slumber, and dispelled the horrific vision. Thus 
 roused from apparent death, and restored to conscious- 
 ness in all his faculties, he quietly resumed his shoes from 
 which the aching corns had induced him to disengage 
 his pedestals, and only remarked, in confused accents, 
 " Hech, lass, I've been dreamin'." Fearing to say more 
 lest the strange impressions of his distorted imagination 
 should create disquietude in the unruffled bosom of his 
 spouse, who was always a ready participant in his 
 troubles, imparting to him the balm of sympathy in all 
 his sorrows ; and his sudden exit produced no sensation 
 of wonder, no unpleasant surmise, no torturing pang of 
 
 p
 
 170 HISTORICAL SKETCHF.S 
 
 jealousy in the breast of his faithful partner in life. But 
 how soon was this deceitful calm, this treacherous seren- 
 ity of mind, destined to explode in a tempest of over- 
 whelming despair ! Unable to efface from his heart the 
 deep and indelible impressions of the' remarkable vision, 
 he sped to the place of concourse, where he most certainly 
 expected to find his beloved daughter in comfortable 
 keeping, and afford his protecting arm in the transfer- 
 ence to her parental home. But how heart-rending the 
 disappointment ! the habitation of mirth was hushed to 
 sepulchral silence, and dark as the night that surrounded 
 it. The gleesome party had dispersed, in which his 
 lovely Betsy had never been permitted to mingle ; and 
 the happy inmates were recruiting exhausted nature with 
 the balm of peaceful repose. Confounded and bewildered, 
 in a gust of horror and amazement, the distracted parent 
 turned round and round ; accomplishing a series of fixed, 
 wild, and unnatural revolutions, as if poised on a pivot. 
 He trembled, he would have fled, but he knew not 
 whither. Immured in an ocean of dread perplexity, his 
 desponding thought leaped from one con jecture to another, 
 while the grisly vision, in all its lively horrors, flashed 
 with appalling brilliancy on his rambling imagination. 
 Amid the tempestuous billows of anguish, while the 
 throne of reason reeled to its centre, a lucid interval 
 dawned on the turbulent elements that wrought in the 
 god and governed the man, by which he perceived that 
 concealment of the blue reality from his endearing spouse 
 were a hopeless expedient, reared on the sandy basis of 
 inevitable failure ; therefore he paused, resolved, and 
 returned to his unsuspecting partner, whom he had left 
 domiciled in lonely solitude. But what a heart-melting 
 interview ! what a scene of wild disorder ! what a tem- 
 pest of dire commotion raged in the seat of parental 
 affections ! No alleviating conjecture shed one cheering
 
 ' OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 171 
 
 ray of hope on the dark prospect of final bereavement ; 
 while the fell remembrance of similar events, that the 
 barbarous memory, in savage sport, recalled from the 
 slumbers of oblivion, imparted additional pungency to 
 the bitter draught. Theirs were not the agonizing 
 twinges of perplexing suspense ; theirs was not the 
 atmosphere chequered with beams of hope and clouds of 
 despair ; but all was wrapt in the settled gloom of hope- 
 less bereavement. Scarce had the glorious universal 
 chronometer accomplished ten revolutions since the pub- 
 lic sympathy was aroused, and the gaping wonder of the 
 district excited by a circumstance no less mysterious ; a 
 circumstance with which Betsy's afflicted parents were 
 intimately connected and perfectly conversant at the 
 period of its occurrence the unfortunate subject of 
 abduction being a young blooming niece of their own, 
 who disappeared on hogmanay, and all inquiry during 
 the lapse of ten years utterly failed to elicit a single 
 trace of the hapless victim. Now officious recollection 
 unfolded that dark postern of vanished time, and exhi- 
 bited the tragic event renewed in all its forbidding fea- 
 tures, as of yesterday ; and the deplorable case of their 
 own beloved offspring assumed an aspect so strikingly 
 similar, as to extinguish every glimpse of solace and 
 banish the last shadow of hope. Still, as a drowning 
 man, with eager grasp, will seize on a floating straw as 
 the means of deliverance, the bereaved couple grasped 
 an alternative equally impotent. The neighbours, awak- 
 ened by the piercing accents of anguish, and impelled 
 by the irresistible influence of consternation, deserted 
 their dormitories, and rushed to the scene of woe some 
 actuated by impressions of real commiseration, and others 
 governed by the prying passion of sheer curiosity : all, 
 however, prompted by their several motives, accompanied 
 the cheerless, the disconsolate mourners in their fruitless
 
 172 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 search ; and, under the scowling canopy of heaven, 
 every lane and vennel were subjected to an ordeal 
 of scrutiny, until the winter sun, in the far distant 
 horizon, shed a glimmering dawn over the bounding 
 billows of the German Ocean. But like the faithless 
 band who, mid the rugged steeps and mazy wilds, the 
 prophet sought, for whom no place existed in the climes 
 of earth, all returned to their respective abodes, lost and 
 confounded in the haze of wonder, having discovered no 
 trace of aught pertaining to the strayed damsel. But 
 loads press lightly on the shoulders of all save those who 
 are doomed to bear them ; and how keen soever the 
 sensation of wonder that tickled the mind of the public, 
 it was utterly destitute of those acute feelings of insuper- 
 able anguish that agonized the hearts and weighed down 
 the spirits of the bereaved parents. 
 
 Let us now turn away from this scene of mourning, 
 and revisit the innocent cause of it in her doleful habita- 
 tion. The morning has dawned with its rich profusion of 
 orient streaks, but unknown to her ; the rising-sun shoots 
 his slanting radiance athwart the briny expanse, but no 
 cheering glimpse illumines the dark interior of her lonely 
 prison. Dragged, as it were, beyond the pale of creation, 
 and secluded from the light of heaven, all is blackness 
 around her, as if entombed in the centre of the earth. 
 But though restrained by fetters of brass and secured 
 by walls of adamant, the soul-soaring aspiration, over 
 which the veriest despot on earth possesses no control, 
 can burst the strongest barrier, and ascend to that region 
 where cloud, nor curse, nor care, nor crime can possibly 
 intrude ; and though immured in rayless night, there is 
 a gleam of solace that conscious virtue imparts, which no 
 malignant existence, even the prince of darkness himself, 
 is able to extinguish ; and, in the present instance, the 
 fair captive, in her noxious dungeon, realized the influ-
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 173 
 
 ence of that internal illumination, alleviating the horrors 
 of that gloom to which she was subjected by the perfidy 
 of man. Whilst wholly abstracted from the frivolities of 
 life, and absorbed in deep and solemn reflection on the 
 severity of fate by which she had been mysteriously 
 deprived of light, of liberty, of social intercourse with the 
 rational world, the comparative serenity of Betsy's bosom 
 was suddenly interrupted by the slight vibrations of the 
 earth, accompanied by a succession of confused sounds 
 conveyed in stifled echoes to her watchful ears. As the 
 vibrations waxed stronger, and the echoes louder, she dis- 
 tinctly perceived, amid the dusk of her musing melan- 
 choly, the rapid tread of her heartless oppressor. The throb- 
 bing emotions of mingled dismay swelled in her panting 
 bosom, and the chilling sensations of terror shivered in 
 all her veins, while the paleness of death was diffused 
 over her fair, attractive visage, The pulsations of her 
 heart, though quick, were few in number ere the door-, 
 unlocked, grated on its hinges, and the unfeeling wretch, 
 with a torch in his hand, presented himself to her bewil- 
 dered vision. The express purpose of this visitation was 
 merely to ascertain, by her appearance, whether twelve 
 hours durance, drear and dismal, had tamed her spirit of 
 resistance, and brought her within the pale of submission 
 to his vile affections. What a flood of wild confusion 
 overwhelmed the heart and deluged the senses of the 
 lone, defenceless female when she beheld the dreaded^ 
 object of all her antipathies ! How did the flame of vir- 
 tuous abhorrence rage in her breast when his fiendish 
 treachery flashed upon her thought ! how did the whole 
 delicate sensibilities of her soul start up in fierce rebel- 
 lion against a vassalage so degrading to the rational 
 mind! And when he broke the profound silence, his 
 voice, once admired, assailed her ears like the blood -chill- 
 ing screams of the owl, that awaken the fears of the timid,
 
 174 HISTORICAL SKETCH KS 
 
 and stir the hair of the night-wrapt traveller. On her 
 countenance, visibly impressed with the indications of 
 disquietude, he threw a glance of affected blandishment, 
 and addressed the unhappy victim of his cupidity in lan- 
 guage kind and courteous. But his, she knew, were not 
 the accents of love, that exalted passion which plants per- 
 fumes in the sterile desert, bestrews man's rugged path 
 with flowers, and mingles a gleam of transport in the 
 storms of life. Nay ; his was the voice of the subtle 
 serpent that lured her primitive parent into the toils of 
 misery his the fallacious courtesy of the vampire that 
 fans the unconscious victim into cool composure while he 
 preys on its vitals. Therefore, to all his sifting inquiries, 
 his impure insinuations, she maintained a sullen reserve, 
 as wholly occupied in other thoughts; but when he 
 approached into close contact, and put forth his hand in 
 deceitful salutation, she raised her bright blue eyes roll- 
 ing in tears, that spoke a language to his heart which 
 the most melting strains of eloquence would have failed 
 to imitate even callous depravity itself reeled on its 
 throne of adamant, and felt the softening glow of sym- 
 pathy. The monkish despot, in all his impassioned 
 amours, never before experienced such a perplexing frus- 
 tration of purpose ; for as the Bass stands firm and 
 secure on its natural basis, and maintains its original 
 position amid the streams of the Forth despite the furious 
 tempests that rave in the regions above and the tumbling 
 billows that roll in the ocean beneath, alike unshaken 
 stood the invincible fortress of Betsy's virtue. As he 
 turned to evade the heart-piercing poniards of her im- 
 ploring eyes, he was pursued by the voice of earnest sup- 
 plication, with which, in his present condition, he could 
 have well dispensed. " 0, Father, what have I done ? 
 What crime have I committed unawares against my God, 
 or my fellow-creatures, that I am doomed to endure an
 
 OF THE ISIAND OF MAY. 175 
 
 ordeal of penance so cruel, so dreadfully severe ? Relieve 
 me, I beseech you, from this valley of death, this dismal 
 abode, this intolerable bondage ; or, in mercy, acquaint 
 my sorrowing parents of the situation in which thy hand- 
 maid is placed, ere their bereaved hearts burst with the 
 swellings of anguish. All this, and more than this, I 
 am willing to endure for the Blessed, as an atonement 
 for my guilt, would'st thou but tell me in what it con- 
 sists. O, Father, do, in mercy, reveal my secret fault ?" 
 In these plaintive accents, the artless breathings of a 
 guiltless soul, were conveyed the poisoned arrows of 
 shame-, disappointment, and remorse ; and from the mouth 
 of self-condemning innocence, unconscious of crime, the 
 dire conviction of his own fearful deserts grated on his 
 ear, and thrilled in his heart " wrapt up in triple brass." 
 From her presence he sped with precipitous haste, as a 
 man-slayer to the city of refuge, and shut the door with 
 a slam of fury, leaving the hapless captive again involved 
 in the shades of solid darkness. 
 
 That misery, in a thousand shapes, colours, and degrees, 
 actually exists beneath the spacious canopy of heaven, 
 no man, however partially acquainted with himself, will 
 attempt to deny ; and it is no less certain that a vast 
 proportion of that gloomy existence, that stalks with 
 grisly aspect over the diversified regions of the globe, is 
 artificially procured by the very objects destined to endure 
 its severest pressure; how much mental energy and 
 physical exertion are frequently expended in the accom- 
 plishment of aims and projects which result in the very 
 consummation of infelicity ! He sped apace from the 
 presence of his captive, but the speed of an angel would 
 have been too tardy, and the distance of the glorious 
 planets too contracted to have saved him from the soul- 
 harassing annoyance, which he laboured assiduously to 
 procure for himself. Though secured within the ram-
 
 176 HISTORICAL SKETCHKS 
 
 parts of the abbey, and immured in the sacred privacy of 
 his confessional, her supplicating eye still glistened in 
 his view, and her heart-melting accents rang in his ears. 
 Self-accused and self-condemned, he experienced the 
 agonizing twinges of remorse, as if the very flames of 
 perdition were kindling in his breast ; while on his per- 
 plexed breathings, quivered in trembling accents, " O, 
 that I had wings like a dove !" But, alas ! 'twas all but 
 a vain wish, an empty desire, a dead aspiration. Never 
 was man involved in a deeper labyrinth of perplexity 
 never was human ingenuity warped in a maze so intricate 
 never were the intellectual faculties of human nature 
 so ravelled in grappling with the most mysterious pro- 
 blem that exists in the wide theatre of creation, than 
 were his in dissolving the knot which himself had 
 wreathed. The liberation of the captive was a monstrous 
 idea from which he recoiled with horror, as such would 
 ultimately result in deplorable exposures which he 
 trembled to contemplate. Another, and more desperate 
 expedient, stirred within the dark regions of depravity, 
 which the fossil wrecks of humanity subsequently 
 discovered within the conventual policies forcibly de- 
 clare to have been aught but a novel device. But 
 this expedient, however effectual in removing the 
 cause of disquietude, and concealing his criminality 
 from the bright face of the sun, on the present occa- 
 sion he lacked permission to adopt. There are some 
 minds so peculiarly constructed, that when any one of the 
 inherent passions becomes inflated to the highest pitch of 
 excitement, it exerts a paralysing influence over the entire 
 system it enervates the powers of the body it deadens 
 the faculties of the mind, and converts the whole active 
 existence into a mere image of prostrate imbecility. Very 
 differently constituted, however, was the mind of this 
 ecclesiastic. For, though under the sole government, not
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 177 
 
 of one passion, but a formidable combination of these 
 controlling impulses all screwed up to the highest tone, 
 yet did the system retain perfect possession of all its 
 energies, visible and invisible ; nay, his inventive powers 
 were quickened and invigorated by that very extremity 
 to which he was driven, and by which many would have 
 been reft of all self-possession, and rendered incapable of 
 thought, speech, or action. No sooner had one alternative 
 yielded to the blighting influence of failure, than another, 
 less revolting, though equally effective, flashqd with all 
 its vivid lustre on his turbulent fancy. As a milder 
 method by which he might effectually dispose of his rebel- 
 lious captive, amid the boisterous waves of perplexity, he 
 conceived the stratagem of exiling her to the Island of 
 May, under the false colours of religious melancholy. In 
 that sea-girt locality there existed, at that period, a sub- 
 ordinate convent, governed by a monk of the same order ; 
 and in accordance with the ancient proverb, " ae crdupie 
 will ne'er pick out anither's e'e," he resolved to commit 
 her to his surveillance, under sentence of perpetual mon- 
 astic seclusion. Accordingly, the crew of the prior's 
 yacht, being four in number, emissaries or minions of the 
 convent, were forthwith initiated into the secret purpose 
 of the expedition, and rendered perfectly versant in the 
 whole scheme, by which its successful accomplishment 
 mainly depended. The marine conveyance is ordered to 
 be in readiness at the dead, the silent, the terror-fraught 
 hour of midnight, when all animate nature lies hushed 
 into pacific stillness, and laborious man, jaded with the 
 turmoils of the busy world, sweetly reclines in the lap of 
 repose. And just on the second night of "Betsy's resi- 
 dence in the dark unknown, she was roused in the midst 
 of a horrid dream, by the sudden intrusion of five human 
 figures, all disguised and masked, so that no feature of 
 their visage was discernible except their wild flaming
 
 178 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 eyes emitting the fiery flashes of savage resolve. 
 Astounded at this formidable invasion of her solitude, a 
 mysterious inflation of soul, a nervous impulse, like that 
 produced by the power of galvanism, quickened the dor- 
 mant energies of her entire system ; and starting from the 
 cold, the flinty, the inflexible couch on which reclined 
 her shivering frame, she looked unutterable amazement, 
 still unconscious of her impending fate. Did ever mortal 
 existence stand unveiled in the Council of Pandemonium ? 
 Did ever the visual organs of tangible humanity behold 
 the region of horror, and observe the fiends in convention 
 assembled to devise their schemes of malignity for involv- 
 ing the world in a dire catastrophe? this very theatre 
 exhibited to the lonely captive a miniature representa- 
 tion of all. In such a situation, alone and defenceless, a 
 visitation so appalling was well calculated to overthrow 
 the firmest tower of fortitude, and subdue the most intre- 
 pid, the most invincible heart. One of those earth-born 
 furies carried a dark lanthorn, only sufficient to heighten 
 the horrors of the gloom ; another flourished, in full pros- 
 pect, a furbished sword, unsheathed, reflecting its glitter- 
 ing terrors in the glimmering rays that partially illumined 
 the mouldy confines of the dusky cell; the other three 
 approached the quaking inmate, who shrank backward 
 from their terrific addresses, and, being rudely seized (for 
 they were resolute in their purpose), she shrieked aloud 
 and struggled like a hapless dove hampered by the toils 
 of the ruthless fowler, on which the deadly weapon was 
 furiously brandished over her head, which at once pro- 
 claimed their hostile mission in a style more expressive 
 than the most thrilling eloquence could have possibly 
 conveyed. But this significant admonition was rendered 
 still more impressive by the point of the weapen coming 
 in smart contact with her throbbing bosom, and the 
 
 n i 
 
 accents of relentless resolve sounding harshly in her ears,
 
 QF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 179 
 
 and swearing by the Blessed Virgin that if one whisper 
 escaped from her lips, if one effort of resistance was 
 attempted, her doom was instantly and eternally sealed. 
 Sweet is life to the veriest wretch on earth in the full 
 exercise of reason ; therefore, all was mute, motionless, 
 yielding quiescence. No boisterous explosion of anguish, 
 no bitter wailings, no pathetic voice of misery engaged 
 her vocal organs, though dreadful was the tempest of 
 mingled horror and dismay that raged in every region of 
 her breast. In this state of constrained submission, she 
 was rudely conducted, hoodwinked and pinioned, down 
 a strait unknown declivity, and at the termination of 
 which, the sound of a massive gate grating on its hinges 
 introduced to her ears the stilly murmur of the rippling 
 ocean that rolled in peaceful undulations on the pebbled 
 shore. Still, in silence unbroken, she is urged onward by 
 her uncourteous guide, while each reluctant step is accom- 
 panied with a convulsed sigh and receding shrink, as the 
 last signals of a decisive plunge into the world of spectres. 
 At length amid the suppressed whispers of her masked 
 retinue, she is firmly folded, not in the soft arms of love, 
 but those of a less delicate touch, and forcibly deprived 
 of all footing, suspended betwixt the earth and the 
 heavens, and ultimately deposited in the prior's yacht 
 like a fettered convict destined for the penal settlements. 
 Ignorant of her situation, and louring with fell surmis- 
 ings as to the issue of her crooked fortune, the current 
 of her thoughts still flowed in a rugged channel. Al- 
 though a secret suggestion faintly stirred in her mind, 
 that, were actual destruction the sole design of her per- 
 secutors, they might as well have sheathed the sword at 
 once in her bosom, dislodged the principle of vitality, and 
 consigned the bleeding remains to the murky shades of 
 the oblivious tomb, no pleasant theme of contemplation 
 was at all mooted in the councils of reason. In her
 
 180 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 immediate vicinity sat, unknown, the reverend cause of 
 all her misery, who appeared to enjoy life not in its most 
 enviable colours ; for, though goaded on by the potent 
 impulses of licentious passion to embark in a stratagem 
 so incalculably base, he seemed not absolutely sunk in 
 the slough of depravity, and his conduct throughout the 
 sequel afforded unequivocal tokens of his inward remorse 
 and pungent relentings ; but, governed by the despotic 
 control of vicious principle, he had proceeded too far in 
 this peculiar drama to effect an honourable exit he had 
 advanced too far on the enchanted ground, effectually 
 precluding all possibility of extricating himself by retrac- 
 ing his steps. The damsel must needs be disposed of, 
 either by a violent death (from the thought of which his 
 whole soul recoiled with horror), or exile and final seclu- 
 sion from all intercourse with the rational world. 
 
 In paths of vice deceptive blossoms spring, 
 That only lure the unwary soul to sting. 
 
 Now, the splendid yacht is released from her moorings, 
 and the four trusty minions, with nervous vigour, tug at 
 the clanking oars ; and never did the winter sky assume 
 an aspect of more placid serenity never was the vault 
 of heaven more richly studded with its sparkling gems, 
 untarnished by the floating mist of the lower atmosphere 
 and never did the streaming waters of the Forth slum- 
 ber around them with more delightful stillness, more pel- 
 lucid tranquillity. But instability is stamped in legible 
 characters on every species of sublunary being. Man's 
 brightest prospects frequently vanish like the visions of 
 bliss that sport around the pillow of the hopeful lover, 
 or the golden pyramids of fancy based on the mere quick- 
 sands of a day-dream ; and his best concerted schemes, 
 dissolved in the acid of failure, evaporate like the flimsy 
 haze of the morning. The beautiful expanse of the azure
 
 OP THE ISLAND OF MAY. 181 
 
 concave, with all its gorgeous splendours, is suddenly 
 obscured by a veil of portentous vapour ; the whispering 
 breath of the atmosphere, changed in current and quick- 
 ened in motion, comes forth in surly gusts of factious 
 opposition, and the captious element, keenly susceptible 
 of excitement, began to curl its brows, and sensibly 
 evince the scowling indications of anger. These were but 
 the preliminary symptoms, the precursing shadows of a 
 furious onset. The accumulating clouds lowered into 
 solid darkness ; the intermittent gusts increased and 
 united into a raving tempest ; the azure flood, roused 
 from its peaceful slumber, heaves and foams around, and 
 the drifting sleet, in fierce discharge from the magazine 
 of heaven, descends in blending clouds with furious lash 
 on the frail unsheltered expedition. Thus environed with 
 darkness, danger, mingled confusion, and increasing con- 
 vulsion, the galley-slaves exert their utmost energy to 
 stem the opposing elements, and make head towards the 
 island that still loomed in the distance; but sinking under 
 extreme exhaustion, and alarmed at the frightful invasion 
 of the rising surf, they resolved to change their course, 
 and regain, if possible, the haven of their departure. 
 Duly weighing the importance of the mission, this 
 appears a desperate alternative, which naught but lawless 
 necessity could have suggested. Still the living source 
 of the monk's disquietude continued within the range of 
 his vision ; and although, in the multitude of his silently 
 revolving thoughts, the malignant whispers of aban- 
 doned depravity infused an idea by the adoption of 
 which he might easily affect an immediate deliverance, 
 yet, governed by some secret impulse, his soul recoiled 
 from its embrace. As for Betsy, she was so severely 
 afflicted with the unaccountable disease of sea-sickness, 
 as to render her regardless even of life itself; and whatever 
 gloomy apprehensions of peril, shipwreck, or death per- 
 Q
 
 182 HISTOKICAL SKETCHES 
 
 vaded the reflective channels of the other inmates, so far 
 as she was concerned, the storm raged and roared around, 
 and spent its ruthless ire unheeded. The crazy vessel, 
 rendered subservient to the compulsory resolve of dire 
 necessity, now turns stern to the tempest, relinquishes 
 the hopeless contest, and sues for safety only in 
 a well-managed retreat. But where is the goal ? where 
 the fortress of security ? No star of comfort glimmered 
 in that sable canopy no luminous beacon shed a hope- 
 inspiring gleam on the shivering night-wrapt souls, lost 
 and bewildered in a wide tumultuous waste of dashing 
 foam no distinct object appeared in the visual line of 
 pitchy darkness that apparently bounded the snowy surf 
 of the turbulent expanse no baronial seat of feudal 
 antiquity no castle, kirk, or convent heaved its familiar 
 head in the murky horizon, proclaiming the fixed locality, 
 and pointing the way to a haven of peace ; nay, the only 
 definite prospect that obtruded on the view of those 
 unfortunate beings was a sudden, an inevitable transit 
 beyond the rugged confines of time. Whilst the fragile 
 bark continues wallowing, and all but smothered amid 
 the breach of uproarious waves, every movement of the 
 mariners was left to the random decision of fate, being 
 ignorant of their position, and unconscious of aught save 
 the death-staring perils by which they were encompassed. 
 The oars are still plied with that unknown vigour which 
 desperation rarely fails to communicate, but without any 
 distinctive aim ; all their recollective faculties being 
 jumbled into one mass of wild disorder, resembling the 
 scene of frightful commotion that raged and foamed 
 around them, in hoarse discordant murmurs ringing the 
 dirge of thousands. 
 
 The boisterous December sky having expended its 
 magazine of destructive elements on the trembling world 
 beneath, the eyelids of the morning oped with a sickly
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 183 
 
 glance dispelling the shades of a protracted night. It 
 is no less remarkable than true, that both in ancient and 
 modern ages, a curious belief has existed on this coast, 
 that should a man during the space of seven years make 
 a regular excursion along the sea-beach every morning 
 before the sun shows himself above the horizon, he would, 
 at the termination of that period, secure his fortune by 
 discovering some casket of valuable treasure cast on shore 
 by the waves. And under the influence of this peculiar 
 superstition, as a certain cordiner in the neighbourhood 
 was performing his usual aquatic tour, he descried in the 
 dusky twilight some odd- looking bundle snugly depo- 
 sited in the cleft of a huge projecting ledge of rock. He 
 started backward, supposing that it might be an otter, 
 and flapped his leathern apron to scare the uncouth 
 animal from its entrenchment ; but perceiving that it 
 firmly resisted the effects of this impotent terror, his 
 hair began to bristle, an unpleasant chill pervaded his 
 veins, and the fancy, ever awake in all such emergencies, 
 commenced its wild creation. The unknown object 
 appeared not only terror-proof, but assumed an attitude 
 of defiance, and grinned horribly in his face, and rapidly 
 advancing on his position with all the sullen grimace of 
 a hostile spectre. Truly this was no inviting prospect, 
 here was no paradise, no place for parley. Resolution 
 and reaction were born twin-sisters ; and under the 
 quickening inspiration of dread, he retraced his steps 
 with more vigour and agility than he was ever before 
 known to possess ; while every casual flap of his own 
 apron imparted a fresh impetus to the quaking velocity 
 with which he sped from the grisly object. How indis- 
 pensably requisite is moral courage to the prosecution of 
 every adventure ? for although this undefined something 
 had actually contained the full fruition of all his hopes, 
 the very ideal treasure he so perseveringly pursued, all
 
 184 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 was forfeited for lack of sufficient manly fortitude' to 
 make a seizure of the subject. The hue-and-cry being 
 set up, all the denizens of the burgh became instantly 
 affected with the mania of consternation; for in every little 
 town, every casualty flies from the one end to the other 
 with a degree of swiftness that would almost rival the 
 electric telegraph. Every heart was full of the mysterious 
 affair, and every mouth blabbed out that such a one had 
 seen had seen but what he really had seen, no one 
 could tell. By this time the sun exhibited his ghost- 
 chasing image, and a multitude full of self-inspired 
 courage sallied forth to quench the flame of wonder, or 
 gratify the teasing passion of curiosity. Very little time 
 was consumed in the accomplishment of either aim ; for, 
 on approaching the noted locality, the marvellous some- 
 thing resulted not in a baseless illusion of the fancy, not 
 in the flimsy materials of an empty apparition, but a 
 perfect female form in all its tangible reality. Here, 
 ensconced in the cliff, lay the hapless daughter of Eve, 
 drenched and dishevelled, devoid of sense and motion, 
 but still exhibiting the faint symptoms of respiration. 
 Now who is she ? and whence came she ? formed a com- 
 pound query of no easy solution. The flickering flames 
 of conjecture pervaded the motley multitude, like wild- 
 fire in a region of furze, long unmoistened by the drops 
 of heaven and scorched by the parching radiance of the 
 sun. At length, one more intrepid than the rest untied 
 the bandage that concealed one-half of her visage, and 
 raising his hands said, " Be the holy Saint Augustine ! 
 it's Betsy Smith 1" The announcement was received with 
 unhesitating credence, all being perfectly apprized of her 
 mysterious disappearance. Her father did not render 
 himself visible in the general turn-out ; for, by reason of 
 the unaccountable bereavement he had so recently sus- 
 tained, his spirits were too much borne down by an
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 185 
 
 insuperable pressure of anguish to be actuated by an 
 impulse so vague, terrific rumours of appalling appari- 
 tions being at that period of no rare occurrence. But 
 her uncle, having convinced himself of the fact, lost no 
 time in conveying tidings of the strange discovery, judg- 
 ing, by the current of his own feelings under circum- 
 stances precisely similar, that even her lifeless remains 
 would afford to the sorrowing parents a species of allevi- 
 ation. In frantic haste her father sped to the scene of 
 wonder and amazement, where he enjoyed the melancholy 
 pleasure of once more beholding his only child in the 
 land of living men ; and as he clasped her to his bosom, 
 and embraced her icy cheek suffused with the ensigns of 
 death, his agonised soul stirred within him when he per- 
 ceived her pallid lips quiver with the faint emotions of 
 expiring life. Being restored to the glowing sympathies 
 of parental affection, and the recruiting influence of 
 judicious treatment, her suspended faculties gradually 
 evinced indubitable symptoms of returning consciousness; 
 and being constitutionally robust, and possessing all the 
 natural vigour of youth, time soon repaired the ravages 
 that privation had effected on her florid countenance, 
 revived the dormant powers of exhausted nature, and 
 rekindled into flame the expiring embers of her buoyant 
 spirit. To attempt a description of the feelings that 
 swelled in the now inflated bosom of her parents in con- 
 nection with this extraordinary occasion, were utterlv 
 vain and futile. No language yet extant is sufficiently 
 pregnant with meaning even to convey the faintest idea 
 of that profound amazement, that exalted satisfaction, 
 that entrancing rapture, which, with glowing fervour 
 and impassioned ecstacy, possessed the soul. But, accord- 
 ing to the tradition, all their domestic enjoyments through 
 life were intermingled with wonder and admiration ; for, 
 though Betsy could easily describe how she had been
 
 186 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 clerically led captive, immured in a dungeon, transferred 
 thither and exposed in a crazy vessel to the violence of 
 the conflicting elements, yet she was ignorant of her 
 destination, and the ultimate purpose of her abduction ; 
 both of which subsequently transpired by means of a 
 faithless menial, who held a subordinate office in the 
 priory and was eminently endued with the inquisitorial 
 principle. What became of the boat and men, and how 
 she was conducted to the rock of refuge, appeared envel- 
 oped in a cloud dark as doomsday. From the memor- 
 able instant when by some sudden shock she was thrown 
 from her seat amid the foaming surf of the ocean, till 
 she awoke from her stupor in the fostering arms of her 
 mother, all seemed a blank leaf in her history ; and will 
 continue forever wrapt up in the shades of inscrutable 
 mystery. 
 
 Since Heaven to man assigned his blissful lot, 
 
 And Hell seduced, and woman wise would be, 
 And wise became, what man has tasted not 
 
 The baneful fruit of yon forbidden tree ! 
 "Why bane exist, where all was bliss beside? 
 
 Where all was life, should aught exist to kill ? 
 'Twas only bane because by Heaven denied, 
 
 And still it lures, because forbidden still. 
 
 Its noxious seeds, wide wafted on the winds, 
 
 Have found a hold in earth's remotest clime, 
 Infused fell poison in immortal minds, 
 
 And cursed the world in every age of time ; 
 Mid social life, in virtue's blest parterres, 
 
 Where loveliest wreaths around each other twine, 
 The tree of vice its treacherous head uprears, 
 
 Whose Lollow fruits in luring clusters shine. 
 
 Fair seems the fruit, but all in fancy's eyes, 
 And only sweet because command restrains ; 
 
 Here perverse man a heaven of charms descries, 
 So fond of freedom, restive under reins.
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 187 
 
 In time's first dawn, ere vice engendered woes, 
 
 Did man possess the same inquiring soul ; 
 And in restraint an ardent passion rose 
 
 To taste that guarded by divine control. 
 
 All perverse still, restraint desire excites, 
 
 Forbidden pleasures wield resistless force ; 
 Still in the jungle where the serpent bites, 
 
 Man courts the pungent apples of remorse. 
 While earth revolves, the foil of vice may lure 
 
 To stings envenomed that shall never cease : 
 But virtue's fountain flows for ever pure, 
 
 Her ways, though rugged, still are paths of peace. 
 
 CHAPTER XYI. 
 
 So far as man's exploring researches have extended, every 
 tract of country under the spacious canopy of heaven, 
 whether in ancient or modern ages, has possessed its 
 rivers, its lakes, its fountains of water, to which the 
 genius of superstition has attached certain imaginary 
 virtues. The Ganges, the Nile, the Jordan, have ever 
 been regarded in their respective localities with feelings 
 of profound veneration, not only in the spell-bound ages 
 of antiquity, but they still maintain their exalted status 
 far beyond all the fertilizing streams and rivulets, how- 
 ever pure, that in devious wanderings stray through the 
 regions of the universe, insomuch that the water of the 
 Jordan, still endued with a mystical charm, is transported 
 far beyond its natural precincts for the christening of 
 princes. What mysterious virtue this sacred water is 
 supposed to contain, or what distinguishing qualities 
 those privileged beings are expected to derive from its 
 influence, has neither been sufficiently explained nor 
 manifestly exemplified, notwithstanding the commenda-
 
 188 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 tion of royalty in its favour. Bat implicit confidence in 
 any object of fancy that engages the mind always im- 
 parts an agreeable feeling, although the beneficial result 
 expected should never transpire beyond the transparent 
 casement of hope. The Syrian warrior perceived no 
 inherent virtue in the waters of Jordan, enjoyed no 
 internal prospect of any salutary result to be derived 
 from the simple element until he acquired this happy 
 confiding disposition, which lighted up the cheering star 
 of hope, the moving impulse of his subsequent conduct ; 
 and, in countless instances, mere imaginary results con- 
 ceived in the mind of the fanciful, communicate as 
 high-toned happiness to souls so constituted as he could 
 possibly enjoy under the entire removal of his loathsome 
 malady. But why traverse the distant climes of earth 
 in pursuit of enchanted 'streams, as if Scotland had been 
 exclusively denounced by nature as a province unworthy 
 of these exalted privileges ? Such indeed were an empty 
 surmise, as remote from the truth as the poles are asunder. 
 Ever since Ossian, wrapt in the blue shades of the heath- 
 clad mountains, sang in Celtic strains the feats of Fingal, 
 the land of the Thistle has always possessed her mean- 
 dering rivers, haunted by legions of water-spirits subver- 
 sive of human happiness, and her magical springs, preg- 
 nant with peculiar virtues, to which the superstitious 
 fancy has ingeniously attached a salutary charm adapted 
 to every defect incident to imperfect mortals. 
 
 It will be readily acknowledged by all, however par- 
 tially conversant with the historical annals of antiquity, 
 that at a certain period of the world's history, a man's 
 superiority of rank, his moral influence in society, his 
 gloss of respectability, did not, as at present, depend so 
 much on the lengths and breadths of his lands or the 
 gravity of his purse, as on the extent of his lineal de- 
 scendants, the formidable magnitude of his tribe. And
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 189 
 
 according to this principle, barrenness was uniformly 
 considered as a real calamity, and regarded as a deep 
 shade of reproach, an uncomely blemish, a repulsive fea- 
 ture in the female character ; and however eminently 
 or splendidly endowed with all the other amiable quali- 
 ties and accomplishments that ever adorned and shed a 
 polished lustre on the sex, all were tarnished, shaded, 
 and eclipsed by this one hapless infirmity. The lovely 
 unfortunates themselves appear to have been no less 
 disquieted under this peculiar species of ignominy, than 
 were the rougher materials with whom they were united 
 by the tender ties of hymeneal affection ; and agonised 
 in mind on account of this imagined infamy, curious 
 enough were the stratagems sometimes resorted to, and 
 unparalleled the condescension on their part in order to 
 hood-wink the gaze of public scorn stratagems so 
 naturally repugnant to the female feelings that naught 
 but a heart under the pressure of extreme anguish could 
 have conceived, and naught but the last pitch of despe- 
 rate resolve, excited by a feeling of overwhelming dis- 
 comfort, could possibly have executed. All that was 
 lovely in nature, beautiful in art, felicitous in social inter- 
 course, was divested of every charm, reft of every attract- 
 ing feature, and transformed into a rueful waste of 
 ungainly deformity in the estimation of the being unblest 
 with maternal feeling. Even the shades of death and 
 the vale of oblivion seemed .preferable to the sunshine of 
 life with all its enjoyments, under a stigma so foul, a 
 disappointment so galling, and the still more insuper- 
 able calamity, the painful apprehension of forfeiting the 
 affection of their lords. As revolving ages transpired 
 from the cloud of futurity, and descended into the dark 
 pavilion of elapsed time and mingled themselves with 
 long-lost events that only loom in the mist of retrospect, 
 though this despotic passion became gradually more
 
 190 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 modified in its operations, time has not yet been able to 
 effect its extinction, and it still continues to inflict its 
 unpleasant twinges wherever the cause exists. But to 
 proceed with the narrative. On the Island of May there 
 was (and perhaps still is) a beautiful spring of pure pel- 
 lucid water, in close connection with, and under the sole 
 government of the convent there, which during the whole 
 of the sixteenth century continued in the full exercise 
 of all its powers and privileges. This spring, Avhich 
 was then under the special cognizance of the officiating 
 monk, is traditionally famous for having possessed the 
 mysterious power of curing female sterility, and convert- 
 ing the unfruitful daughters of Eve into fond mothers 
 and joyous housewives, by washing away the reproach 
 inseparable from barrenness, and conciliating the affec- 
 tions of their spouses, which this unamiable quality was 
 jealously supposed to have alienated or cooled down into 
 listless indifference. This consecrated fountain, involv- 
 ing such marvellous inherent virtues, was only acces- 
 sible by the venerable conventual invested with holy 
 orders ; and the revenues derived therefrom, which 
 were by no means inconsiderable, belonged exclusively 
 to the monastic institution established on the Island 
 under the auspices of the monks of Saint Augustine. 
 About the period here referred to, Scotland in a variety 
 of instances appeared as barbarous and uncivilized as 
 in any previous or subsequent part of her history. On 
 account of the jarring, unsettled condition of the king- 
 dom, the law was loose in its requirements, and still 
 more lax in its execution. Right was lorded over by 
 might, and the unfortunate victims of capricious tyranny 
 were frequently despoiled of property, of liberty, and life 
 itself, without the least shadow of judicial investigation. 
 Such was the distracted condition of society, such the 
 gross perversion of justice, such the unrestrained triumph
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 19 1 
 
 of gigantic crime over defenceless innocence, that the 
 hapless objects of baronial jealousy enjoyed as little 
 security against the invading horrors of rapine, plunder, 
 and spoliation, as if they had held an unfortified encamp- 
 ment in the most barbarous island of the South Pacific. 
 All the finer feelings of the mind, the soul-ennobling 
 sympathies that illustrate the character of man, were 
 absorbed in moral turpitude, seared with crime and 
 drowned in barbarism. Under the troubled aspect of 
 these tempestuous elements, how unenviable indeed was 
 the situation of those females afflicted with the disease 
 of sterility, whom fate had destined to endure the wither- 
 ing scowl of baronial tyranny, soured by the acid of pro- 
 genitive disappointment ! If in such cases the conse- 
 crated spring, with all its mysterious fertilizing qualities, 
 unfortunately failed in producing a successful result, 
 means were frequently devised by their despotic lords to 
 sever the sacred ties of the hymeneal union ; and in what 
 manner soever this barbarous deed was accomplished, 
 justice, debased and perverted, winked at the enormity. 
 Like every other beneficial institution, this remedial 
 fountain, whose latent virtues were so efficacious in pro- 
 moting matrimonial felicity, and increasing the human 
 species, behoved to be governed by certain restrictive 
 regulations. Therefore, like the lepers in the olden time, 
 the patients subjected to this regimen were secluded from 
 all social intercourse with the world ; even the little sea- 
 girt world assigned as their temporary residence. Only 
 the governing ecclesiastic, whose prerogative it was to 
 administer the magical water, was permitted to enter 
 within the confines of that chamber exclusively devoted 
 to ladies of sterile habit ; and during the whole series of 
 the renovating treatment, it was specially provided that 
 they should enjoy the solace of being visited by their 
 lords at certain specified periods, lest any chilling sensa-
 
 192 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 tion of fancied neglect should damp the natural ardour of 
 the female spirit, and by counteracting the fertilizing 
 principle of the peculiar spring, produce a total frus- 
 tration of purpose. Whether on account of the limited 
 nature of the accommodation, the scanty supplies of the 
 medicine, or for what other mysterious reason has never 
 been fully ascertained, but only one patient was admitted 
 to treatment at the same period of time ; and at the ter- 
 mination of a certain prescribed course, if symptoms of 
 an interesting character manifested themselves in the per- 
 son of the patient, the cure was pronounced complete, the 
 purpose fully accomplished, the reproach of sterility can- 
 celled, the alienated affection of her husband reclaimed, 
 and her own hymeneal felicity secured. All these pre- 
 cious, heart-entrancing blessings being actually realized 
 in her experience, through the enchanted influence of 
 pure water, she was again transmitted to the baronial 
 residence of her affectionate spouse with boisterous ex- 
 hibitions of festive rejoicings and jubilant mirth. But if 
 the adamantine sterility of her nature, and the inherent 
 obstinacy of the disease, were such as to render futile and 
 abortive all the monk's most liberal appliances during the 
 entire medical ordeal, then she was mysteriously disposed 
 of as above hinted, that the orchard of her lord might be 
 replenished with a more fertile vine. Although, in every 
 disease, certain cases resist the influence of the most potent 
 remedies, and the most judicious prescriptions result in 
 total failure, this frequently arises, not from the incom- 
 petency of the medicine, but a certain constitutional 
 incapacity in the patient of being actuated thereby ; and 
 though the clerical physician was not always successful 
 in his medical practice, a most remarkable instance of 
 the fructifying properties of this insulated spring is here 
 extracted from the antiquated volume of tradition. 
 About the beginning of the sixteenth century, the
 
 OF THK ISLAND OF MAY. 193 
 
 lovely and beloved lady of a certain baron on the north 
 side of the Tweed was unhappily afflicted with the 
 reproachful disease of barrenness. This unamiable feature 
 in the midst of untarnished loveliness, this one untoward 
 circumstance in connection with a happy union, afforded 
 a continual source of discomfort and teasing perplexity to 
 a couple otherwise happy in the enjoyment of reciprocal 
 affection. In all their excursive rambles over a wide 
 extent of territorial dominion, the disquieting reflection 
 incessantly rankled in their breast that all must recede 
 from their view without a scion of their own, a single 
 pledge of their love, to enjoy the inheritance. With the 
 reckless profligate, the consummate debauchee, the mere 
 man of to-day, such a contemplation weighs like a feather 
 in the whirlwind ; but with the being of calm reflective 
 habits, every survey of his splendid demesnes, for which 
 he may have laboured and bereaved himself of rest, is well 
 calculated to exercise a very different influence over the 
 rational affections that exalt humanity beyond -the mere 
 dominion of sense. Years rolled away in stealthy silence, 
 and merged into the fathomless ocean of the past. Spring, 
 in its successive returns, breathing its vernal balm on the 
 lifeless progeny of nature, repaired the ruthless ravages 
 of winter. Summer extended its gorgeous coverlet of 
 verdure over the wide-spreading fields and forests, and 
 magnificent parterres, where Flora, shrivelled with age 
 and prostrate beneath the frigid scowl of ungenial skies, 
 exhibited a lovely offspring wearing her identical image. 
 But amid the ever-varying scenery in all its diversified 
 features, amid the perpetual successions visible in the 
 teeming creation, no revolution of the seasons solaced 
 the mind of the baron by presenting to his view a tender 
 twig, a lovely blossom in the likeness of himself. This 
 marred all his enjoyment in the midst of pleasure this 
 implanted a weed of repulsive deformity amid all the
 
 194 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 captivating beauties by which he was environed. Hap- 
 piness is the name of something in nature that every man 
 eagerly pursues, and the fancied means of attainment are 
 as various as are the distinguishing features of the 
 candidates ; and so bewildered is human foresight in the 
 haze of fatality, the thing most prized in desire, the 
 exclusive object of impassioned dotage, is frequently the 
 very instrument of infelicity. And so vehement was the 
 baron's anxiety on account of this sole desideratum, that 
 it appeared quite conspicuous in his varied intercourse 
 with the world ; and in consequence whereof, he hap- 
 pened to elicit information respecting the miraculous 
 qualities of this famous spring with which the Key of 
 the Forth was so eminently privileged. And notwith- 
 standing the rugged ways, the intervening tracts of land 
 and water that lay betwixt him and the goal, he deferred 
 not to visit the isolated province, and initiate the monk 
 into the secret purpose of his mission, who, in return, 
 supplied most cheering intelligence connected with the 
 mystical fount, its peculiar tendencies, and happy results ; 
 and under the stern resolve to embrace every approved 
 means for the fertilizing of his sterile lady, whilst within 
 the pale of probability, she was forthwith transferred to 
 the island, and consigned to the care, keeping, and medical 
 treatment of the venerable sire. 
 
 Upon the accession of James the Fifth to the throne 
 of Scotland, the baron, who had always been a particular 
 favourite of that prince, was exalted by him to the dis- 
 tinguished honour of being one of his personal atten- 
 dants in a tour over the length and breadth of his 
 dominions. And according to the current adage, " a 
 new besom sweeps clean," such was the enthusiastic 
 reception, such the brilliant demonstrations of loyalty, 
 such the warm-hearted hospitality everywhere mani- 
 fested, that the progressing movements of the Court, like
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 195 
 
 the Hebrew camp in the desert, were extremely tardy. 
 The balmy spring conceived its buds, the blazing sum- 
 mer expanded its blossoms, and autumn exhibited its 
 mellow fruits, ere the royal excursion was fully comple- 
 ted. The baron having left his beloved spouse under 
 treatment of a peculiar nature, it may reasonably be 
 supposed, that after such a protracted separation, he 
 would feel an unquenchable anxiety to visit the isolated 
 dominion, where, under the deep shades of retirement 
 and exclusion from the world, she had, for his sake, sub- 
 mitted to such an ordeal of sullen austerity. But the 
 surly blast of bleak November, that despoils the moun- 
 tains of their verdure, dismantles the forests of their 
 luxuriant foilage, disrobes the gay parterres of the 
 variegated vestments, and diffuses ruin, devastation, and 
 death, over the whole vegetable empire this fell agent, 
 sweeping with furious scowl the bosom of the northern 
 ocean, roused its swelling energies into direful agitation, 
 and impelled the huge impetuous billows that rolled and 
 foamed and dashed in dread commotion around the basis 
 oj the island, rendering all access utterly impracticable 
 this elemental warfare yielded to no armistice during 
 fourteen days, effectually barring all communication 
 with the mainland on either side of the Forth, an event 
 by no means of rare occurrence. The tempest having 
 considerably abated, the baron, who had all the while 
 been kept a storm-bound prisoner in the town of Dun- 
 bar, spending his days and nights in miserable anxiety, 
 embarked with all dispatch in a crazy vessel for the 
 residence of his spouse ; but, while stepping on board, 
 all glowing with the fire of impatience, he stumbled and 
 fractured his thigh. In consequence of this untoward 
 event, he was reconducted to his residence in Dunbar, 
 and the vessel dispatched to the island with a warrant to 
 transfer the lady from thence, that her husband might
 
 196 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 enjoy the benefit of her kind offices and soothing sym- 
 pathies under the effects of the accident. This warrant, 
 however, was virtually contemned by the monastic 
 official, on the alleged ground that the patient had not 
 fulfilled her assigned period of probation ; and therefore 
 such a request could not be conceded without infringing 
 the regulations of the institution. A memorial on the 
 subject having been presented to the King, she was ulti- 
 mately removed by virtue of a royal mandate, after ten 
 months' seclusion from the gay society in which she was 
 accustomed to mingle ; during which period her eyes 
 had never been permitted to behold the object of her 
 warmest affections, except in the vague illusive visions 
 of fancy while reason slumbered. Misfortune it is said, 
 seldom comes single-handed. So ardent was the lady's 
 desire to derive salutary benefit from the fructifying 
 spring, and so continuous and copious her libations, 
 that she was restored to her husband exhibiting in her 
 person the prominent symptoms of dropsy. 
 
 As silent time revolved, that busy agent, ever reveal- 
 ing profound secrets, expounding abstruse prediction^, 
 and changing the aspect of all sublunary existence, the 
 baron advanced in convalescence, and with his loving 
 spouse, was again transferred to his own patrimonial 
 demesnes. The gorgeous grandees of the district apace 
 resorted thither, borne on prancing coursers and in jump- 
 ing chariots ; and never was the ancient baronial seat 
 rendered the theatre of a drama so curious, a medley so 
 uncouth. For while the squires were lavish in their 
 expressions of gratulation on account of the baron's recov- 
 ery, the ladies were profuse in their soul -subduing strains 
 of condoling sympathy, on account of the incurable dis- 
 ease that manifested itself in the person of the baroness. 
 The progressive symptoms of the malady became more 
 and more apparent, while the delicate figure of the
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 197 
 
 patient, all marred in symmetry, increased in shapeless 
 magnitude ; and ere the feathered warblers of the grove, 
 in cheerful concert, hailed the return of spring, ere the 
 dormant woodlands, controlled by the frigid sceptre of 
 Siberian death, displayed the vernal ensigns of reviving 
 nature, what were the visual organs of the royal favour- 
 ite destined to behold ? What ? His bosom friend, the 
 solace of all his anxieties, writhing in the agonies of dis- 
 solving nature ? Her soft seraphic voice, that erewhile 
 ravished his ears with the melody of song, absorbed in 
 the wailings of anguish ? Her guileless bosom, ever 
 glowing with the fervour of affection, conv 7 ulsed with the 
 final throb of expiring life ? Her whole active frame 
 lulled into passive prostration, and her lively visage 
 mantled over with the pale, ensigns of mortality ? No ! 
 How very different the consummation ! how reverse the 
 scene that greets his bewildered vision, and salutes his 
 astonished ears ! No ghastly wreck of humanity sup- 
 plied a repulsive feature to his prospect. The result of 
 the mortal disease swelled not the dark records of death, 
 but told in the annals of life; cured of the deadly dis- 
 temper produced by the inherent qualities of the fructi- 
 fying spring, the baron beholds his lady rescued from 
 the vale of oblivion, her corporeal proportions restored 
 in all their wonted comeliness; while suffused with smiles 
 and blushes, blended in beauteous confusion, she rolls 
 the sprawling innocent in a mother's bosom. Twelve 
 months had well-nigh revolved since he committed her 
 to the medical treatment of the convent, and this mar- 
 vellous achievement appears to have been accomplished 
 solely by the mysterious influence of the water, without 
 the agency of man. Certain misgivings, however, respect- 
 ing this supernatural affair seemed evidently stirring 
 themselves in the baron's mind, which, if allowed to 
 strengthen and expand, might be productive of serious 
 
 R2
 
 198 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 consequences. This cloud of ominous materials that 
 fluctuated in the region of his mind, her ladyship pos- 
 sessed sufficient depth of penetration to perceive, and 
 prudential sagacity to avert. She belonged to a family 
 whose influence was extensive and commanding. Her 
 father was on the right hand of King James the Fourth 
 at the battle of Flodden, and was unfortunately mingled 
 with the hapless carnage of rank and distinction conse- 
 quent on that event ; and being perfectly aware of the 
 place that her connections occupied in the breast of the 
 royal successor, and that it was solely on her account 
 that the baron was exalted to a situation of such emin- 
 ence in the Court, she deferred not to apprize his Majesty 
 of the extraordinary circumstance, through the medium 
 of a confidential ambassador. His Majesty having seri- 
 ously weighed the peculiar affair in all its irremediable' 
 bearings and disastrous consequences, exerted all his 
 ingenuity to avert the xinpleasant result of a judicial 
 inquiry. However criminal the position in which the 
 lady was involved, he felt perfectly satisfied that the 
 whole blame was attachable to the baron himself, for 
 having indulged a pet foible to such unlimited extent, 
 and exposing the wife of his bosom to a spell of enchant- 
 ment. There is a gullible vein in the breast of every 
 man, however humble or exalted the sphere which he 
 occupies in the theatre of existence ; and the only diffi- 
 culty consists in discovering its accessible point, and 
 striking it with effect. The King, being forewarned of 
 the gathering storm, accoutred himself with proper 
 weapons for the attack so soon as the affair should be 
 mooted by the capricious baron ; and having surveyed 
 the most vulnerable approach to this peculiar vein, played 
 his cards in a most ingenious manner, insomuch that the 
 king-ruled, priest-gulled, witch-deluded soul became 
 conversant with a system of natural philosophy, of
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 199 
 
 which, till then, he enjoyed the unruffled bliss of total 
 ignorance ; philosophy so abstruse, so interwoven with 
 marvellous shades of impervious mystery, that the soar- 
 ing, diving, exploring science of the nineteenth century 
 has not yet been able to comprehend its natural bearing 
 or rational basis. But ignorance of the governing prin- 
 ciples of any branch of science can never be admitted as 
 an ostensible proof of its fallacy, otherwise there are 
 many visible occurrences in the natural world which 
 exhibit a mere visionary existence. For instance, the 
 influence of the magnetic needle is fully known and duly 
 appreciated as an indispensable instrument in facilitating 
 human adventure, yet, how few, if any, though fully 
 conversant with the fact, whether among the ancient or 
 modern classics, can assign an obvious reason why it 
 points towards the north, why it deviates more or less 
 from that cardinal point in different regions of the globe, 
 and why to the right or left in different ages of the 
 world ? These are effects perfectly familiar to scientific 
 observation, and cannot possibly be esteemed fabulous, 
 simply because the source whence they proceed appears 
 obscured by the mists of uncertainty. Now, by this new 
 system of philosophy, the baron clearly perceived that 
 any sterile lady drinking copiously of the consecrated 
 water, supplied by the hands of the hallowed conventual, 
 in the full belief of its efficacy, and having her affection 
 ardently fixed on the husband of her bosom, may be 
 rendered fruitful by the operations of fancy, apart from 
 all other agency, and may produce a perfect similitude 
 of Adam, though secluded from all mankind in the sacred 
 solitude of a convent. This principle of procreation, 
 though not fully comprehended by all, is not to be 
 regarded as a romantic theory, based on the quicksands 
 of imposture, being proved by repeated experiment. 
 And the casualty, as exemplified in the present instance,
 
 200 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 however astounding to the haron, was no singular 
 occurrence in the history of that mysterious life-giving 
 spring. However extensively the fame of this fructifying 
 fountain may have been disseminated over the various 
 tracts of Caledonia in the days of ignorance, superstition, 
 and monkish delusion, it still holds a prominent name on 
 the East Coast of Fife for its marvellous qualities ; and 
 whenever, amongst the constantly unfolding secrets of 
 futurity, a human being of dubious parentage exhibits 
 itself on the stage of existence (a circumstance by no 
 means so rare as a Christmas butterfly), the common 
 remark is still familiar to all, that " It has come from 
 the Island of May." 
 
 However much the baron's mind was impressed with 
 this novel species of natural philosophy, a secret thought 
 incessantly revolved in his mind, that although the 
 innocent was evidently the offspring of its mother, it 
 could not possibly be the son of its reputed father, the 
 genuine pledge of matrimonial affection. And though 
 incompetent to resist the formidable phalanx of fallacious 
 logic that battered down his intellectual fortress, he 
 evinced a degree of chariness in the indulgence of a 
 peculiar whim, harmless enough in itself. He most 
 cordially called the child after his own name, but super- 
 added the surname of Drinkwater ; and it is not at all 
 improbable that to this very circumstance may be traced 
 the origin of that surname still extant. 
 
 It appears evident that surnames, though they existed 
 in Britain several centuries previous to this period, their 
 introduction is comparatively modern when contrasted 
 with the history of the world ; and in their primitive 
 application they seem to have had a special reference to 
 certain distinct appearances, qualities, or circumstances 
 connected with the beings to whom they were originally 
 applied, as we find exemplified in cases of much greater
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 201 
 
 antiquity. It cannot reasonably be supposed that sur- 
 names pervaded the British empire as instantaneously as 
 the beams of the sun illumine the concave of heaven, but 
 their general dissemination was effected by a gradual 
 process, that has continued through the lapse of cen- 
 turies, and still continues its operations at the present 
 day. To describe the manner in which this interminable 
 multiplication of names is accomplished, might be con- 
 sidered an infringement of the rules of politeness, there- 
 fore it is respectfully waved, and left to the spirit of 
 inquiry. But although these names originally derived 
 their existence from certain personal contingencies, the 
 changes incident to a long series of genealogical succes- 
 sions have, in a vast variety of instances, rendered them 
 wholly inapplicable to those who acknowledge them, 
 presenting many curious contrasts, and affording ample 
 evidence to the external senses that there is literally 
 nothing in a name. It is no rare occurrence in the 
 world now-a-days to see associated with the name of 
 Black, a family delicately fair, and with White, a race 
 of apparent malattoes ; with Short, men of gigantic 
 stature, and with Long, a pedigree of piermy dwarfs ; 
 with Grave, a man of electric spirit, a jesting, merry- 
 Andrew, and with Bright, the very personification of 
 sombre sullenness ; with Coward, a man of intrepid 
 enterprise, and with Courage, a being who trembles at 
 his own shadow; with Portly, a walking skeleton, a 
 ghastly image of death, and with Drinkwater, the plump 
 rosy aspect of a wine-biber. Thus and thus, by innum- 
 erable examples of striking contrast, it may be clearly 
 perceived that whatever agreement subsisted between 
 names and their owners when originally united, in these 
 latter times they virtually deny all affinity to each other. 
 Howbeit, they are still convenient marks of distinction, 
 by which an individual in any civilised community may
 
 202 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 be singled out from amongst the mass of humanity, 
 without ascending a tedious ladder of ancestral descent 
 in order to trace his identity, as in the more obscure 
 ages of the world's history, a system which is now 
 rendered utterly impracticable in consequence of the 
 indiscriminate amalgamation of all tribes, tongues, and 
 nations. Besides, there are multitudes intermingled 
 with every generation, whatever be their talents, their 
 wealth, their influence, their status in society, whose 
 lineal descent can be traced back to no other source than 
 the fructifying spring on this little island, or to some 
 other incident in nature equally endued with fertilizing 
 powers and principles. According to the tradition, the 
 baron and baroness lived in perfect harmony for a long 
 period of years subsequent to this remarkable event, but 
 this solitary being of aquatic parentage comprised the total 
 amount of their progeny. Hence, it may be rationally 
 inferred that he, and not she, was the fittest subject for 
 the mysterious influence of the fructifying water, as the 
 reproachful disease of sterility evidently appears to have 
 been interwoven with his own constitution. 
 
 When connubial love, 'mid the shades of the grove, 
 
 Reposed in the bosom of peace, 
 Or basked in the beams, by the crystalline streams, 
 
 That flowed in the garden of bliss ; 
 The new-wedded pair, by a hapless affair, 
 
 Having forfeited favour and life 
 The man, to his shame, though himself was to blame, 
 
 Ascribed the whole guilt to his wife. 
 
 And though ages have rolled since the tale was first told 
 
 (Though the fact may at times be denied), 
 His descendants have ne'er, or the case is but rare, 
 
 Their grandfather's likeness belied. 
 'Mid fortune's sly snaps, and the varied mishaps, 
 
 That stir matrimonial strife, 
 What man's such a fool as to blame his misrule ? 
 
 Nay he rolls all the blame on his wife.
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 203 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 AMID the unbounded variety of prominent objects that 
 here and there, in every quarter of the peopled uni- 
 verse, strike the excursive organs of vision, there are 
 none so peculiar but may have been equalled none 
 so magnificent but may have been outrivalled in splen- 
 dour none so ancient but its origin may be traced to 
 some definite period of time. Nor can it be conceived 
 of aught in the visible creation, wearing the stamp of 
 human ingenuity, that it was produced without any 
 design, based in no remarkable event, and intended to 
 subserve no purpose but that of cumbering the face of 
 the world. Nay, yon rugged pile of antiquated art now 
 crumbling beneath the sceptre of " all-subduing time," 
 wrapt in a mantle of creeping ivy, and smothered in the 
 mass of vanished centuries, once was a castle of security, 
 an invulnerable defence against the storms of war. Be- 
 hold, in yon sequestered glade, the roofless walls, the 
 shattered relics of masonic art, immured amid the leafy 
 umbrage of aspiring elms that still survive the ravages 
 of time ! These hoary traces of an ancient fane, bending 
 beneath the pressure of accumulated ages, possess no 
 attractive feature to engage or abstract the mind, except 
 the striking symptoms of cloud-wrapt antiquity, which 
 rarely fail to inspire the contemplative mind with a feel- 
 ing of reverential awe. This dilapidated edifice, however 
 ancient, admits that there was a time when it had no 
 place in the universe, and that it neither dropt from the 
 clouds above nor sprang from the earth beneath, but 
 was planned in the heart of man, to commemorate some 
 signal deliverance from the wrath of his own species, or 
 the fury of the subservient elements. The tapering 
 spires, the sculptured columns, the monumental towers,
 
 204 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 whose lofty summits chequer the altitudes of space and 
 heave their crowning images into the clouds of heaven, 
 all in majestic silence tell the wondering thousands that 
 incessantly emerge from the depth of rayless futurity, for 
 what purpose their exalted status is maintained in the 
 world. This recalls from oblivious darkness the inflexi- 
 ble patriot, whose life and energies were engaged in pro- 
 moting the best interests of his country ; and though 
 exposed to a thousand perils by the jealousy of irrespon- 
 sible power, in whose bosom naught but the chill of 
 death could extinguish the flame of philanthropic love. 
 And that, in yonder void, records the star of genius, 
 the man of splendid endowments, whose ideal flights 
 extended far beyond the ordinary sphere of mortals 
 whose exploring research ransacked the ocean, of mys- 
 tery and unlocked the hidden recesses of nature, or 
 whose vivid flashes of intellectual fire, blazing in the 
 literary horizon, attracted the gazing wonder of an ad- 
 miring world. Here, in the busy theatre of bustling 
 concourse, the stately cone lifts its aspiring head, sur- 
 mounted by a statuary image of the man of valour, the 
 man of war, the man of blood the man whose intrepid 
 prowess, whose contempt of peril, privation, and death, 
 had signalised him in the field of sanguinary conflict, 
 and achieved the freedom, the glory, the peace of his 
 insulted country. And there, in humble, in modest 
 magnificence, the awe-inspiring memento that proclaims 
 the hero of peace, the man whose dauntless soul, arrayed 
 in the panoply of heaven, opposed the vicegerents of 
 hell, contemned the torture of the flaming faggots, and 
 in the blest enjoyment of unshrinking principle, expired 
 a martyr to imperishable truth. 
 
 Thus, all these distinguished features that diversify 
 the wide theatre of creation, are the progeny of design, 
 are based in a definite purpose, have a theme to sing, a
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 205 
 
 tale to unfold, an aim to accomplish. And when the 
 excursive eye, in traversing the gloom of night, comes in 
 contact with yon luminous tower that lights the entrance 
 of the Forth, the fancy can conceive a period when it 
 had no existence, and the island was only discerned as a 
 dingy speck amid the foam of the ocean. And though 
 the present object, fraught with such essential import- 
 ance to the nautical world, was preceded by another and 
 another during the lost ages of the past, the primitive 
 beacon, that first shed a grateful beam on the benighted 
 mariner, is still recorded by tradition in connection with 
 the remarkable event from which it is said to have 
 derived its existence. 
 
 The Forth was dark and drear, 
 The howling tempest roared ; 
 No ray of light to cheer 
 
 The quaking souls on board. 
 
 The bark in sunder rent, 
 
 One soul alone survived ; 
 And from this dark event 
 
 "Was light at first derived. 
 
 According to the somewhat variable tradition, the 
 Island of May, about the end of the fifteenth century, 
 as well as subsequent to that period, was included in the 
 lordship of Thirdpart in the parish of Kilrenny. Scot- 
 land, through all its diversified regions, was at the time 
 here referred to a turbulent theatre of incessant com- 
 motion ; and no department of society, from the reign- 
 ing sovereign to tie humblest peasant, could safely cal- 
 culate on one moment's security. On the one hand, the 
 ceaseless incursions of foreign enemies, with all their 
 crimson horrors, infused distraction into every vein of 
 the social constitution, and kept the national pulse for- 
 ever throbbing with feverish excitement. And on the 
 s
 
 205 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 other, the civil fends, the ravages of unprincipled ambi- 
 tion, the pestilent elements of faction, and the plunder- 
 ing invasions of lawless might on the tenure of defence- 
 less right, that ever and anon distracted the internal 
 peace of the realm, supplied exhaustless fuel to the fire of 
 jealousy and district-terror that raged with unquench- 
 able fury in every domestic circle. Amid the harassing 
 disquietude that overspread the land, the East Coast of 
 Fife was by no means blest with exclusive freedom from 
 deeds of rapine, spoliation, and concerted murder re- 
 volting deeds which heraldry still exhibits in emblazoned 
 glory, and sculpture tells in pompous phrase, the pride 
 of ancient barbarism,' the disgust of modern refinement. 
 In consequence of some of those feudal outrages then so 
 prevalent, there subsisted a deep-rooted enmity betwixt 
 the laird of Thirdpart and one of his contiguous neigh- 
 bours, that neither time nor mediatorial interference was 
 able to eradicate. And it was only a want of confidence 
 , on the part of both in respect to the power and mag- 
 nanimity of their vassals that prevented the final exter- 
 mination of the one or the other. Their progenitive 
 descendants were restricted by the stern decrees of fate 
 to a very limited number. Thirdpart had but one only 
 son, whom we shall here name Josiah ; and the otlier 
 had a son and daughter, the latter answering to the 
 name of Amelia. These two families appear to have 
 contracted a juvenile intimacy, which gradually acquired 
 strength and indissoluble stability as they increased in 
 years. In the sprightly days of thoughtless youth, un- 
 harassed with the carping cares that chequer the lot of 
 humanity, they frolicked away the pleasant hours of 
 sunshine, in the bushy wilds and sequestered retreats, 
 amongst the feathered warblers, nestling in artless sim- 
 plicity like themselves. Barons may quarrel at the 
 shaking of a leaf, or the turning of a straw, and involve
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF jIlAY. 207 
 
 an entire district in the shades of irreparable mischief ; 
 potentates may contend for a bauble, and at their imper- 
 ative nod convert whole nations into a scene of appalling 
 anarchy, and deluge the soil that sustains them with the 
 blood of its lords ; but in this little group, this simple 
 representation of human happiness, no factious jealousy 
 discomposed the serenity of the soul ; no conflicting- 
 interests disquieted the breast ; no envenomed passions 
 brutalized the image of divinity ; all resembled cords of 
 a well-timed instrument, where no discordant tone, with 
 grating sound or uncouth jingle, marred the blissful har- 
 mony of innocent delight. They were ardently emulous 
 of each other, but their strife proceeded not from the 
 morbid principle of ungenerous selfishness that governs 
 man in his riper years, and too frequently transforms the 
 beauteous creation into a jungle of repulsive deformity. 
 Thus, all was purely controlled by a vicing anxiety to 
 excel in communicating the brightest glimpses of happi- 
 ness, the most brilliant flashes of unsullied enjoyment. 
 How very different would the aspect of this, prostrate 
 world appear were this principle the main-spring of the 
 universe, the balance-wheel of actions, the moving im- 
 pulse of the human soul. Alas ! it is all a fleeting 
 shadow, an empty chimera, a baseless phantom of the 
 wild imagination ; such may obtain a footing in the 
 bright lunarian realms of Utopia, but the climate of this 
 dingy planet is too variable, the atmosphere too cloudy, 
 too frigid, for maturing so delicate a fruit. Even in this 
 little group, however desirous to communicate happiness 
 to each other, there existed the unamiable disposition to 
 inflict suffering on their inferiors ; the somewhat cruel 
 predilection manifested by boys in all ages for plunder- 
 ing and destroying the instinctive habitations of the 
 defenceless plumy tribes, exercised a despotic sway over 
 the minds of those otherwise inoffensive beings. But
 
 208 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 these tiny subjects of the winged creation had a power- 
 ful advocate, a prevailing intercessor, in the person of the 
 little lovely Amelh. And her pathetic appeals, flowing 
 from a heart glowing with the genuine fervour of pure 
 benevolence and unaffected sympathy, invariably suc- 
 ceeded in melting down the ravaging asperity that such 
 a ruthless predilection is ever calculated to engender. 
 Amelia and her brother were born twins, and Josiah 
 being about the same age, the entire trio presented a 
 most striking similarity both in person and features; 
 and in consequence of which incident, they, by secretly 
 exchanging their upper garments, frequently played off 
 amusing tricks upon each other. The unclouded years 
 of playful innocence stole silently away into the dark 
 concealment of the past, and their retiring shadows but 
 dimly appeared in the misty horizon of retrospect. Still 
 the unruffled harmony of friendly intercourse continued 
 to pervade this happy society in the more rational pur- 
 suits of maturer age, being either unaware or utterly 
 regardless of the mutual antipathy that rankled in the 
 breast of their fathers. As the ceaseless revolutions of 
 time began gradually to unfold the latent qualities of the 
 mind, and display the intellectual blossoms that slum- 
 bered in embryo, Josiah and Amelia became every day 
 more lovely, more amiable in the eyes of each other. 
 The soft whispers of love, like the balmy zephyr, poured 
 their life-sweetening tones into the youthful ears ; while 
 the silken sinews of the tender passion, blended with the 
 ties of friendship, wrapt the unsuspecting hearts in the 
 toils of a willing thraldom. As the generous flame 
 glowed with increasing ardour, all the glories of the fir- 
 mament, the riches of the world, the beauties of creation 
 became concentrated in the lovely Amelia. Every pros- 
 pect however bleak, every scene however rugged, was 
 converted into an elysium of bliss when cheered by her
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 209 
 
 presence and enlivened by her smiles; both having 
 attained to that particular climax of fervent existence 
 when the heart is most susceptible of this peculiar feel- 
 ing, and least capable of being swayed by sordid con- 
 siderations, it exercised a remarkable influence over every 
 thought, word, and action, and controlled the entire 
 demeanour of its glowing subjects. With affections thus 
 governed, every splendid entertainment wore the aspect 
 of monotonous sameness, every pleasure was insipid, 
 every enjoyment stale and destitute of relish, when apart 
 from the presence of each other. The pure principle of 
 friendship ever exhibits a bold, a confident, an unblush- 
 ing front, regardless of public gazo as unnoticed in the 
 crowding world ; but love, that nondescript passion from 
 which few rational minds are exempt, with shy retiring 
 mien, shrinks from the glance of human observation, and 
 courts the sequestered haunts of irrational nature; nay, 
 there is a species of jealousy, coeval with the first inspir- 
 ation of this tender something, that operates so power- 
 fully in the last and noblest work of creation, and the 
 beings blest with the delicate feeling of love no sooner 
 experience its grateful warmth diffusing itself through 
 the avenues of the soul, than they conceive a teazing 
 surmise that all the world is aware of it, while as yet 
 confined exclusively to their own breast, and hid in the 
 secret recesses of the heart. Hence, timid love, however 
 untarnished its robes of innocence, has always been found 
 resorting to obscure ravines, sequestered rivulets, umbra- 
 geous groves, and unfrequented solitudes scenes most 
 congenial to its nature ; and thus courting retirement, it 
 frequently discovers itself by the very means adopted to 
 ensure concealment. 
 
 Josiah and his lovely angel, all but adored, now began 
 at stolen intervals to seek delightful retirement amid the 
 deep seclusion of the shady woodlands, where the mavis 
 s2
 
 '210 , HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 chanted among the boughs, and the blackbirds mellow 
 notes, in sweet resounding echoes, shivered through the 
 dusky thicket. And here it was that they enjoyed the 
 short hours of love's entrancing converse beyond the pry- 
 ing scrutiny of inquisitive man. But the blest enjoyment 
 of this favoured retreat, like earth's primeval paradise, 
 was destined to transient existence ; and the fell demon 
 of misfortune, ever subversive of human happiness, 
 involved the youthful pair in a hapless labyrinth of rue- 
 ful miseries. 'Twas on a beautiful summer's eve, while 
 the sun was yet exalted in the azure firmament, as 
 they were enjoying their secret, their soul-transporting 
 walk beneath the shady umbrage of the forest, and all 
 absorbed in one engrossing theme sudden as the meteor 
 flits across the heavens, or the electric bolt darts from the 
 lowering cloud, an ungracious intruder surprised their 
 vision, and marred their felicity. Fickle Kate, the 
 poultry wife at Thirdpart, happened to be scouring the 
 woods in pursuit of fuel as a by-stand for future neces- 
 sity, in imitation of the industrious bee providing against 
 the severity of winter, and, guided by some invidious 
 power, ever strewing the patli of humanity with thorns 
 of disappointment, she bolted unawares from a bushy 
 arbour in the immediate province of their endearing 
 intercourse, and presented her well-known, unwelcome 
 figure in full prospect. From the manifest symptoms of 
 dread confusion portrayed in their blushing visages, 
 Kate, being no novice in the tactics of love, clearly per- 
 ceived that she had trespassed on sacred ground, and that 
 her presence was anything but desirable. " The good 
 Heaven bless ye, bairns," said she ; " ye needna leak sae 
 fleyed at me, as gif ye'd stoun a score o' sheep. Na, na, 
 it winna houd ; I ken fu' weel, ye may as weel try to 
 houd yon sun i' the lift, as gar me trow that ye loo nae 
 ane anither. Ye needna blush, bounie lassie, an' bury
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 211 
 
 yer face i' yer gebbie, for I've seen the day when I'd 
 been as blyde amang the bushes as ye are. I ken a' 
 about it, but I'll ne'er leet on." This gratuitous pledge 
 to secrecy on the part of the henwife inspired the timid 
 lovers with a glimpse of fortitude, and each drawing out 
 a pretty little purse, tendered her a bonus as a silver 
 chain to bind her unruly member., which she gratefully 
 accepted and withdrew. This secret, however, by sheer 
 mischance committed to Kate's keeping, proved too 
 weighty a bolus for her fickle stomach to retain. It 
 rolled and weltered like a bull in a net, and gnawed like 
 a vulture at her heart-strings, insomuch that her daily 
 routine of duties was tardily performed, and sleep, with 
 all its balmy odours, was banished beyond the pale of her 
 eyelids. This peculiarity in Kate's disposition is by no 
 means to be considered a singular prodigy in nature, for 
 beings in both sexes have ever existed in the human 
 family on whom temporary misery cannot be more 
 effectually inflicted than by making them honoured cus- 
 todiers of a secret, however trivial. The self-complacent 
 idea of possessing the knowledge of something whereof 
 all the world is ignorant, the restraining influence pro- 
 ceeding from a species of superficial integrity, and an 
 irresistible desire to communicate, all combined in one 
 little soul, render life a severe purgatory of griping 
 disquietude, till blest with a favourable opportunity of 
 divulging, which is always embraced with ardour. Kate 
 having sustained this ordeal of endurance for several 
 tedious days, its intolerable pressure at length subdued 
 her resolution, and chafed the cord of fidelity which 
 herself had spun amid the shades of the forest. Being 
 now fully determined to eject the troublesome tenant 
 from the region of her breast through the medium of her 
 vocal organs, and having collected her lap full of eggs as 
 a passport to the family mansion, off she set, stalking in
 
 21 2 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 all the assumed importance of a royal secretary ; but, just 
 as she crossed the threshold, some unlucky article tripped 
 one of her sturdy pedestals, capsized the secretary, and 
 committed dreadful havoc amongst the brittle com- 
 modity ; the domestics resorted en masse to the scene of 
 the accident, and having gathered together her scattered 
 members, her listless length was again restored to the 
 appearance of something resembling a perpendicular. 
 But Kate having damaged the most prominent feature 
 of her visage, which was of no ordinary dimensions, her 
 hoary haffets seemed beautifully streaked with crimson 
 spangles ; no other part, however, of her significant phiz 
 was at all injured, the stately organ having acted as a safe- 
 guard for all the rest of the surrounding territory ; but 
 whether the upper or nether storey of Kate's towering 
 altitude presented the most ludicrous aspect, would have 
 puzzled the most acute vision to determine ; the one 
 being a picture diversified with the varying shades of 
 nature pertaining to itself, and the other, richly be- 
 smeared with the parti-coloured contents of the smashed 
 ovals. Meanwhile one of the minions of his honour, who 
 laboured under a stuttering impediment, rushed upstairs, 
 and proceeded to acquaint him that Kick-Kick-Kate 
 
 had fif-fif-fa'n an' bib-bib-broken her .. " Well, 
 
 make speed get the doctor and I'll see by-and-bye." 
 Knowing that every command was peremptory, he sped 
 apace to execute the order he had received, and from the 
 confused manner in which the message was delivered, 
 the son of Esculapius, actually concluding that the 
 woman had broken her legs, provided himself with the 
 apparatus necessary on such occasions, and started off 
 with all possible despatch to the scene of suffering. On 
 his arrival, panting for breath and suffused with per- 
 spiration, he experienced much difficulty in suppressing 
 the emotions of chagrin that swelled in his breast, when
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 213 
 
 lie discovered that no fracture, simple or compound, had 
 happened to the legs of any one, eggs alone being the 
 principal sufferers in the catastrophe. The case was too 
 complex for all his scobbing apparatus to remodel into 
 aught resembling the original form ; he even declined to 
 examine Kate's nasal promontory, perceiving that its 
 extremity was already ornamented with a stripe of white 
 plaster, kything like a wreath of snow on the summit of 
 the Andes. His honour, being relieved from his private 
 engagements, now bestirred his stumps in order to look 
 narrowly into the disastrous affair ; and observing Kate, 
 with her ornamental beak, standing erect like a Maypole, 
 he could not forbear smiling at the misconception' under 
 which he had laboured with regard to the consequences 
 of the accident ; when the queen of the poultry com- 
 menced a deplorable harangue respecting the fate of the 
 eggs, insinuating at the same time that she had tidings 
 of a most important nature to communicate, and that 
 the wreck of the eggs was merely a prelude to a more 
 insuperable calamity. Eggs are always ominous of evil 
 when placed in connection with love, and before lovers 
 would dream of henwives or see eggs in vision, they 
 would rather dream of the hangman and see the cloven 
 foot of the old serpent. The laird, perceiving that some 
 event of a serious character was indicated by the peculiar 
 longitude of Kate's foreboding aspect, took her aside into 
 a private apartment in order to discover the momentous 
 substance whereof tha ominous shadow so conspicuously 
 appeared. Her mind being literally agonized by the 
 pressure of the secret, and unable any longer to wallow 
 with the load, she speedily communicated what her twa 
 ecn had witnessed amang the growin' timmer, and her 
 ain convictions o' the unco fykiness begun to kythe itsel' 
 atween Josiah an' that little fond cuttie owr by there ; 
 an' she weened fu' weel be her ain ken, that sic fykin'
 
 214 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 was just like a snavv ba' rown doun the brae, the Linger 
 it rows it waxes aye the bigger an' heavier. Kate 
 being thus delivered of the painful secret, and pregnant 
 with a bumper of wine, stalked off with a satisfied air to 
 resume her duties as governess of the feathered fraternity, 
 little knowing the quantum of human misery her supple 
 tongue had been instrumental in creating. All the 
 virulent passions that reigned and rankled in the laird's 
 despotic bosom now stirred and mustered in dread rebel- 
 lion at the very idea that the spawn of his most inveterate 
 adversary should one day possess that identical mansion. 
 In the fury of frantic indignation, he stamped and stalked 
 from one apartment to another, while his huge, black 
 eyes rolled and flashed in wild terrific menace. This 
 tempest of excitement had barely passed the climax of 
 its violence, when Josiah entered, all unsuspecting, 
 cheerful, and happy, full of the image of his lovely 
 Amelia, and his heart still glowing with the parting 
 embrace ; but what a chilling reception what a reverse 
 current of feeling what a freezing transition from the 
 bland smiles of love to the frigid scowl of envenomed 
 passion, was he destined toendure ! The legal alternative 
 of denying the fact, however beneficial in many cases, in 
 the present instance proved utterly abortive. The unpar- 
 donable crime of loving an enemy bewrayed itself in a 
 suffusion of crimson blushes, which the arch ingenuity of 
 the incensed accuser distinctly perceived ; therefore, the 
 self-condemned captive in the toils, of Cupid, swayed by 
 modest diffidence, betook himself to silence, while the 
 vengeful tempest of indignation raged with alarming 
 fury, and the appalling threats, involving present dis- 
 grace and future misery, like ponderous 1 hail-stones, 
 rattled about his ears. But as the angry elements of 
 nature frequently wreak their vengeance on the desolate 
 wilderness unheeded by mortals, in like manner did
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 215 
 
 this moral hurricane expend its fury on the hopeful 
 youth, and exhaust itself into a calm without subduing 
 the heaven-born flame, or chilling the fervour of that 
 endearing influence which glowed in his bosom ; the 
 thrilling emotions of his heart, the pure emanations of 
 nature, were such as neither a sense of filial duty nor 
 the sterile frost of despotism was able to control. 
 
 Kate, having enjoyed the glorious gratification of 
 first revealing the secret at head-quarters, now became 
 extremely liberal, treating all and sundry with the news 
 of her momentous discovery. So the father of Amelia 
 became acquainted with the ire-stirring tidings of the 
 love- suit on the selfsame day that Kate broke her 
 voluntary pledge of secrecy, and the unwitting, light- 
 hearted girl, in all the blushing modesty of her teens, 
 was subjected to an ordeal of ruthless rage and rigid 
 scrutiny, similar to that which her beloved Josiah was 
 compelled to endure ; but her softer nature, and more 
 delicate feelings being less capable of sustaining the 
 relentless tempest of paternal wrath, she concealed her 
 lovely visage, flushed with the lustre of bashful innocence, 
 and shed a flood of expressive tears, tears not of com- 
 punction, contrition, regret, or remorse, the precursory 
 symptoms of an important change of heart, or the 
 consequent shadows of some decisive revolution accom- 
 plished in the seat of the affections, but the simple 
 evidence of a virtuous attachment of heart beyond the 
 power of parental authority to dissolve. By the stern 
 decree of relentless fate, or the malignant passions of man, 
 they may be precluded from enjoying the presence of 
 each other, but no human interposition, however barbar- 
 ous, could sever the ties of that ardent affection by which 
 their hearts were closely united. Seldom, indeed, does 
 virtuous love enjoy a horizon wholly unchequered with 
 clouds and unruffled with storms. And this truth began
 
 216 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 to be amply realized in the experience of Josiah and his 
 beloved, who passed perhaps their first night of sleepless 
 inquietude unknown to each other, or to the slumbering 
 world around them ; still, reckless of all consequences, 
 and resolved to brave the utmost effects of paternal dis- 
 pleasure, they duly respected their parting pledge and the 
 trysting-tree. Josiah was first on the enchanted ground, 
 his love having taken a circuitous route to evade the 
 jealous glance of her father ; but as soon as she 
 approached within the range of vision, he clearly per- 
 ceived the shades of a troubled spirit portrayed in every 
 feature of her countenance. Mutual explanations having 
 been given, Josiah evinced a determination to be avenged 
 on the fickle hcnvvife for her treacherous baseness, but 
 from this purpose he was easily dissuaded by Amelia, as 
 an alternative that might be productive of suffering to 
 himself without accomplishing any good end. When 
 unexpected difficulties arise in the path of the conqueror, 
 they only tend to render his heroic spirit more resolute, 
 and love, when crossed, often exhibits a firmness and 
 intrepidity, which, while gliding down the smooth stream 
 of ordinary life, it is seldom known to possess. Here 
 they vowed eternal fidelity, despite the gloom of the 
 moral atmosphere by which they were surrounded, and 
 regardless of the raving hurricanes of wrath, or the hot 
 thunderbolts of indignation that threatened to burst with 
 overwhelming vengeance on their devoted heads. 
 
 The father of Amelia, perceiving that his remonstrance 
 was ineffectual, his authority disregarded, and his threats 
 contemned, and being a man of arbitrary disposition, 
 seared by the petrifying influence of crime, meditated 
 the destruction of a being who had offended him in no 
 particular, except in loving his daughter. And when a 
 mind, however dull and insipid in ordinary matters, is 
 guided by satanic agency, it is amazing with what promp-
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 217 
 
 titude stratagems are planned and executed. He knew 
 full well the friendship that subsisted betwixt his son 
 and the loving object of his hatred and revenge ; and, 
 being apprised of a hunting match on which they were 
 soon to embark, he matured his devilish design, and 
 panted in breathless anxiety for its melancholy result. 
 The favourable season arrived ; he descried from an attic 
 window the two happy youths scampering over the plain 
 with all the buoyancy of mountain deer, whiJst his daugh- 
 ter, with stretched neck and staring earnestness, was 
 watching their motions with an air and aspect pregnant 
 with meaning. The callous old squire, inflated with 
 malice, and the very flames of perdition raging in his 
 breast, plunged into the woody thicket, with no other 
 companion save the arch-fiend goading him on to his 
 malignant purpose. Under this umbrageous covert he lay 
 in ambush, armed with the messenger of death, till, 
 through the dusky vista, he beheld the sportive youths 
 advancing on his position. He aimed, nor aimed in vain 
 the youth fell prostrate, groaned, and expired. Hav- 
 ing thus added another item to his black catalogue of 
 delinquencies, he returned to his mansion, cherishing an 
 infernal glow of satisfaction ; he had now put a final 
 period to that obnoxious intimacy so repugnant to his 
 mind. But it frequently occurs in the course of this 
 world's events, that schemes devised by misanthropic 
 souls to mingle bitter ingredients with the social condi- 
 tion of man, redound to the confusion of their authors ; 
 and that very species of suffering that unfeeling man 
 devises for his fellow, often recoils with all its insupport- 
 able misery on his own malignant heart. How horri- 
 fied and aghast looked the despotic squire ! How did he 
 tremble under the agonizing pangs of dreadful, of irre- 
 parable disappointment, when he beheld his own son 
 carried home by weeping menials, and stretched before 
 
 T
 
 218 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 him a bleeding corpse! It appears that these light-hearted 
 sportsmen, whilst in the concealment of the forest, had 
 resorted to their favourite frolic of exchanging garments, 
 in order to play off an innocent hoax on Amelia, whom 
 they expected to meet at the extremities of the policies ; 
 and to this simple incident alone is attributed the won- 
 derful preservation of Josiah, and the melancholy fate of 
 his bosom friend. This deplorable occurrence supplied a 
 theme of extensive speculation, of profound wonder, and 
 uncertain conjecture throughout the entire district ; and 
 wherever two appeared in confab, the rueful length of 
 their visage afforded a sufficient index to a heart stunned 
 with horrid amazement, and a correct tale-bearer of their 
 secret whispers. But the next heart-rending interview 
 of the impassioned lovers, bereaved of friend and brother, 
 is far beyond the power of description ; no language is 
 sufficiently expressive no figure of speech, however 
 highly wrought in strains of unrivalled eloquence no 
 soaring apostrophe, however excursive its range and rich 
 its resources, is competent to represent the scene in its 
 native colours. All the softer feelings that possess the 
 rational soul were here excited to the last pitch of endur- 
 ance ; while in silent sorrow they hung on each other's 
 bosom, insensible to every external object, they breathed 
 their kindred woe, in sigh responsive sigh ; whilst their 
 gushing tears, like meeting streamlets of adjacent moun- 
 tains, mingled as they flowed. Here was exhibited a 
 picture of human happiness marred by man's inhumanity 
 to man a scene of weeping misery in the lovely crea- 
 tion of heaven, blighted by revolt, from which angels 
 shrink and demons glory to contemplate a prospect, 
 whose melting influence would have solved the heart of 
 stubborn adamant into the balm of generous sympathy. 
 
 Such is the petrifying effect of crime on the human 
 mind, that one act of delinquency only prepares it for
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 219 
 
 the perpetration of another, and another involving greater 
 degrees of atrocity ; and one desperate stratagem having 
 failed to accomplish its villanous purpose, the malignant 
 ingenuity becomes more acute and more fertile in satanic 
 device. The father of Amelia, bereaved of his only son 
 by the misguided act of his own hand, his bosom now 
 becomes a tumultuous scene of conflicting passions, over 
 which reason declines to wield her sceptre. All is a wild, 
 uproarious combination of sorrow, disappointment, malice, 
 and revenge ; whilst the fatal success of his misguided 
 aim imparts additional poignancy to his gnawing frus- 
 tration of purpose. Amid this furious convulsion of 
 infernal elements, and lowering under a tempest of mad- 
 dened resolve, to the cold-blooded crime already commit- 
 ted he designs to add perjury and murder, as the only 
 means of quieting his virulent passions and avenging 
 himself on the peculiar deception by which he was be- 
 trayed into the hapless mistake. 
 
 The untimely fate of the youth being still surrounded 
 with a deep shade .of mystery and a haze of bewildering 
 conjecture, intelligence was secretly conveyed to the laird 
 of Thirdpart, that in consequence of special information, 
 a warrant was issued for the apprehension of his son, 
 founded on a charge of murder. Josiah, conscious of his 
 own innocence, and bending beneath the soul-subduing 
 influence of love and grief, was resolved to brave it out, 
 and vindicate himself of the false accusation. But his 
 father, having more knowledge of the nefarious scheme, 
 the well-concerted machinery that was in full operation, 
 and the gold-foiled images of personified depravity, that, 
 setting heaven and hell at defiance, would swear the sun 
 out of existence, if such were necessary to ensure a con- 
 viction, at once resolved on a less hazardous expedient. 
 Josiah, without enjoying the painful pleasure of bidding 
 farewell to his beloved Amelia, was accordingly des-
 
 220 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 patched under the cloudy canopy of midnight, and ship- 
 ped on board a vessel bound for the Netherlands, where 
 he had a cousin holding a high and influential situation 
 in one of those provinces. Delay is generally acknow- 
 ledged to be dangerous, but in the present instance it 
 would have been attended with fatal consequences ; for, 
 ere the next blaze of the meridian sun, the judicial 
 heralds of vengeance were scouring the district in pursuit 
 of the alleged murderer. But propelled by a friendly 
 zephyr, the innocent object of search had escaped beyond 
 the power of their warrant, and no tongue, however 
 treacherous, could tell whither. 
 
 Though youthful love's untainted flame 
 Oft kythes itself in blushing shame, 
 
 'Tis hard to be represt ; 
 It brooks, unchanged, the tyrant's wrath, 
 And conquers many a thorny path, 
 
 Before 'tis fully blest. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 IN contemplating the vast, the stupendous theatre of the 
 universe, with all its gorgeous machinery revolving in 
 perfect harmony amid the boundless waste of infinitude, 
 the conclusion is inevitable, that there is an invisible, an 
 incomprehensible existence governing all its motions and 
 swaying the destinies of man man, unhappy man, ever 
 fertile in scheming misery for his fellows, ever active in 
 working his own infelicity. Behold the unenviable 
 condition of the two unfortunate squires, controlled by 
 the most unamiable feelings of humanity, both bereft of 
 their only sons, who might have proved their shields of 
 defence in the time of aggressive hostility, and their
 
 OK THE ISLAND OF MAY. 221 
 
 solace in the glimmering twilight of declining life ! The 
 one is prematurely hurled into the gulf of darkness and 
 perpetual oblivion by the murderous deed of his father ; 
 and the other is compelled to abandon his home and his 
 country as a hunted fugitive, and seek an asylum in a 
 foreign land, where, remote from the object of his love, 
 he is doomed to mingle his sighs in the whispering 
 breeze and his tears with the drops of heaven. And all 
 this misery is the unnatural effect of that soothing 
 emotion of the soul that sweetens the existence of man 
 through all the harassing turmoils of life. What an 
 overwhelming ocean of disquietude, privation, and suffer- 
 ing is sometimes the hapless result of an innocent cause ! 
 nay, even from that undefined something which was 
 never designed to strew with thorns the rugged pilgrim- 
 age of man. 
 
 Amelia, still unconscious as the tenant of the tomb or 
 the child unborn as to the seventy of fate respecting the- 
 object of her warmest affections, resorts as usual to the 
 sequestered retreat, buoyed on the wings of hope that 
 there she will find a balm for her sorrows in the soothing 
 accents of her loving Josiah. But the bower is desolate, 
 unblest by his presence, uncheered with his smiles, 
 unperfumed with the breathings of his love. Here she 
 muses in silent solitude with the ears of a vigilant 
 sentinel, eagerly listening for the tread of his foot, and 
 cherishing a legion of baseless conjectures in excuse for 
 his absence ; but no sound saluted her watchful organs, 
 save the sonorous voice of the ox lowing in the distance, 
 the plaintive bleating of the shepherd's charge faintly 
 shivering the dusky thicket, and the more exalted creation 
 chirping and fluttering in the regions above. Wrapt in 
 this solemn shade of pensive stillness, as remote from 
 rational society as if cast on a desolate island in the 
 midst of the ocean, she wastes the lingering moments in 
 x2
 
 222 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 teasing suspense, whilst her bosom heaves with the 
 stifled swellings of sorrow, unalleviated by the cordial of 
 sympathy; till, chafed in heart by the galling influence 
 of deferred hope and blighted expectation, she quits the 
 bower hallowed by past endearments she winds her way 
 and wanders back to the mansion of unpleasant reflec- 
 tions, absorbed in the gloom of disappointment, and 
 ravelled in a maze of perplexing thought. The first 
 sounds that greeted her ear, as she glided softly along 
 the smooth pavement of the lobby to her private apart- 
 ment, resembled in effect a shower of poniards thrust 
 into her heart, " "Where can the villain be ? There is 
 witchcraft in this movement ; but I'll pursue him to the 
 very gates of hell, cost what it may." The gloomy 
 condition of her mind at once interpreted the impassioned 
 language of her father, and impressed the alarming con- 
 viction that Josiah was the hapless object of pursuit. 
 Transient was the space afforded her to brood over this 
 melancholy conclusion, ere her father abruptly plunged 
 into her chamber with his eyes flashing indignation, and 
 demanded of her, on pain of immediate expulsion and 
 abandonment to beggary, that she should show where 
 the fellow was secreted. Overwhelmed with a gust of 
 sudden amazement, she solemnly protested that she was 
 ignorant of the whole matter, and could supply no infor- 
 mation respecting the youth, even though the same hand 
 
 that shed the blood of her brother should .. At these 
 
 piercing words he gave a convulsive shudder, and fled 
 precipitately from her presence. By this furious explo- 
 sion of vindictive wrath Amelia clearly perceived that 
 the imminent peril of her lover was no longer suspended 
 on the mere fleeting vapours of conjecture no longer 
 poised on the uncertain surmise of a timid fancy, but 
 fixed on the solid basis of a dread reality. And stung 
 to the^ core of the soul by the bitter reflection, that
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 223 
 
 whether fate's stern decree had doomed him to exile or 
 death, it was all for her sake, in a paroxysm of insuper- 
 able anguish she threw herself prostrate on the couch of 
 repose, and poured out her sorrows in a flood of tears. 
 Destined to endure a pressure of misery so severe, she 
 envied the condition of her brother, reposing " where 
 tyrants vex not," and would that her father might 
 exceed the bounds of his threat and banish her beyond 
 the pale of existence. Having surpassed the dreary hour 
 of midnight in sleepless discomfort, tossed on the swel- 
 ling billows of disquietude, she at last sighed herself 
 into the folds of Morpheus's mantle, and was involved 
 in the frightful scenery of a horrid vision. Transported 
 by the wild imagination to some uncultured locality, she 
 beheld herself closely environed by an immense thicket 
 of impervious briers, where no vista appeared through 
 which even a cony might have found egress. The en- 
 chanted earth, which was strewed with flowers, trembled 
 under, it clave asunder in the midst, and a hollow 
 murmur, awfully striking, ascended from the regions 
 beneath. Chilled with horror, she looked around in 
 vain for the possibility of escape, when, like a dread 
 volcanic eruption, the yawning crater on which she 
 gazed poured forth a legion of fiends, yelling, grin- 
 ning, staring, and gnashing their teeth with every 
 species of horrid grimace. Thus beset with objects 
 of appalling terror, the blood ceased to flow in her veins, 
 while the stifling harbinger of dissolution seemed ready 
 to shut the life-flowing channel of respiration. Just at 
 this fearful crisis, one of the hideous demons dragged 
 her to the brink of the yawning gulf, whence he 
 emerged, where she heard the voice of her father utter- 
 ing the same accents that erewhile greeted her ears as 
 she passed through the lobby ; and, whilst dropping 
 from the grasp of the gruesome wretch into the dell of
 
 224 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 darkness, confusion, and wild disorder, she was caught 
 in the wings of a whirlwind, and transferred to the sum- 
 mit of a beautiful eminence, mantled with a profusion of 
 primroses. Thence she looked, and behold the entire 
 thorny thicket was enveloped in one flame of devouring 
 fire, which ascended into the void heavens with awful 
 grandeur and glorious magnificence. Erelong the wide 
 wilderness was converted into a shining lake of pellucid 
 water, with a stately bark arrayed in flowing canvas 
 gliding gently on its placid bosom. On the deck she 
 distinctly observed the identical Josiah, her very lover 
 and friend, wiping his glistening eyes, and looking wist- 
 fully towards the flowery hillock on which she was 
 elevated. She waved her kerchief and extended her 
 voice to attract his attention, but on a sudden the 
 whole fairy scene was obscured by an intervening cloud 
 that spread a sombre gloom over all her visual horizon ; 
 and breaking through her distorted slumbers, she found 
 her head on the same pillow where she laid it, aching 
 with grief and steeped in tears. The meridian sun, beam- 
 ing and burning in the glorious altitudes of heaven, 
 again beheld the lovely Amelia in her solitary wander- 
 ings, eagerly seeking, but seeking in vain, for the object 
 of her affections. Believing that he was banished the 
 home of his father, and hunted like a deer on the moun- 
 tains by a ravenous kennel gaping for their prey, the 
 indulgent fancy whispered the heart-stirring idea of his 
 being secreted in some deep shaded retreat of the forest 
 unfrequented by man ; and thus influenced, with unwea- 
 ried step and undaunted breast, she traversed the pathless 
 wild, and amid a thousand difficulties, resolved to share 
 his rugged fate, be life or death decreed. Oft would she 
 start, and pause, and listen, and listen, with a sort of 
 thrilling suspense, hearing a fancied whisper sighing 
 through the thicket, " Come, my dearest Amelia;" but
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 225 
 
 all was a creature of the ardent imagination. No kin- 
 dred spirit was there ; no voice of sympathy was heard 
 save the cooing accents of the plaintive cushat. These 
 doleful strains were most consonant to her feelings, and 
 found a ready response in the lovely hosom of the fair, 
 bereft of all that was lovely, all that adorned the world 
 and rendered life worth enjoying. All to her was cheer- 
 less and desolate as a region unpeopled ; without the 
 solace of a friend to whom, with confiding trust, she 
 could unbosom her misfortune, she immured her sorrows 
 in her own isolated self, and shunned the gaze of mortal 
 vision. It happened, however, on one delightful even- 
 ing, as Amelia, with downcast eyes and heavy heart, 
 was wandering in single solitude amongst the rude 
 luxuriance of uncultured nature, her attention was sud- 
 denly arrested by the mumbling sound of a human voice, 
 as if engaged in some secret soliloquy. Seized with 
 instant consternation, she raised her humid eyes, which 
 in deep dejection buried all their lovely glances in the 
 underwood, when she descried, with overwhelming 
 amazement, the sombre aspect of Peggie Trotter, the 
 spaewife, muttering her passing cogitations as she mused 
 along. This prophetic being was, according to common 
 fame, peculiarly connected with the mystical number 
 seven, being a seventh daughter, lineally descended from 
 seventh daughters through the lapse of seven generations. 
 On her breast she exhibited a brilliant star imprinted by 
 the hand of nature, and appeared coeval with her birth. 
 This mysterious badge was, and ever has been, acknow- 
 ledged as a sure indication, an infallible pledge of her 
 being possessed of the second sight, or, in other words, 
 endued with the power of penetrating to a certain extent 
 into the dark repository of future events. With eyes 
 full of expression, they surveyed each other in mutual 
 silence, till Peggie, endowed with peculiar suavity of
 
 226 HISTORICAL SKETCHK3 
 
 manners, invaded the solemn stillness " Wae's me, 
 bonnie lassie, I ween fu' weel the dool an' wonder that 
 ye fain wad houd, an' be the whilk ye're a' forgritten. 
 But dight thae tears frae yer bonnie black ecn, an' dinna 
 greet out yer day-lights a' thegither ere ye see the tither 
 side o' the dowie picture. Muckle an' sair, atweel, hae 
 ye dreed the pine o' yer thrawart lot, an' ye hae meikle 
 inair to dree yet, ere ye find the tint heart for whilk ye 
 are seeken' wi' sic eydent care. Dinna think it's my wish 
 to eek yer waes, or set thorns i' yer gentle bosom, as ony 
 ill-gashioned fiend wad do for his ain sport, for my very 
 heart nips whan I think on the fell fate that's afore ye. 
 But folk's nane the waur o' seein' the cloud ere the storm 
 bursts, that they may seek beild whar they best can j or 
 hearin' the growl o' the puttin' stot ere his shadow 
 appears, that they may be wanied o' skaith an' prepared 
 for the warst ; an' tho' ye canna flee frae the ills o' yer 
 -lot, as ye might frae the storm or the putter, yet whan 
 ye see them comin', an' ken ye canna evite them, ye 
 may mak sib wi' them without bein' owerwhummelt wi" 
 surprise. Now dinna tyne houp, an' greet yersel dead, 
 but set a stout heart to a stay brae, for tho' ye hae a 
 lang dark night to wander in, a thorny gait, be sure that 
 ere the dowed blades fa' seven times frae the timmer, the 
 warst o' yer days will be gane, an' yer heart will be as 
 grit wi' joy as e'er it was wi' grief. Yer tears, sighs, an' 
 troubles will be a' drowned an' swallowed up i' the very 
 fountain that gae them birth. But I maun gae hame ere 
 the sun get out o' sight ; for I hae my ain burden to 
 bear as weel as ye." Although Peggie's predictions 
 appeared quite mysterious and inexplicable in the esti- 
 mation of the love-lorn damsel to whom they were 
 pathetically addressed, such was the effect produced, 
 that the faint semblance of a smile discovered itself 
 curiously blended with grief's distorted features ; ' but
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. , 227 
 
 whether it was a smile of trust in the marvellous divina- 
 tion, or the precursing shadow of inspired comfort, even 
 the seventh daughter with all her mystical endowments 
 was unable to determine. This chance interview, how- 
 ever, diverted the gloomy desponding thoughts of Amelia, 
 and unfolded to her mind a diversified prospect, an exten- 
 sive field of bewildering contemplation. When reflect- 
 ing solely on the predicted severity of endurance, which 
 invidious fate was still preparing for her behind the veil 
 of futurity, in addition to the load she already sustained, 
 the grisly demon of despair, with all its repulsive retinue 
 of horrors, would stare through her eyelids ; and, but for 
 the gilded pledge of coming enjoyment, that shone be- 
 hind the scenes in glorious perspective, and based on the 
 same probability as the other, the overwhelming pressure 
 had crushed her visible existence into the dark depths of 
 everlasting oblivion. And thus whilst mourning under 
 the irksome sceptre of grief and suspense, hope ingeniously 
 managed the counterpoise by throwing into the sinking 
 mind a glimpse of Peggie's refreshing sequel. So the 
 ill-starred Amelia sustained with amazing fortitude a 
 life deeply chequered with the storms of outrageous for- 
 tune. 
 
 Meanwhile, her father not only experienced the gnaw- 
 ings of pungent sorrow arising out of his peculiar 
 bereavement, and the bitter pangs of remorse, on account 
 of the manner in which it was produced, but the burning 
 passion of ungratified revenge on the self-exiled Josiah 
 for having baulked his murderous aim ; and his entire 
 soul being usurped by a rebel host of venomous reptiles, 
 dreadful were the visions that haunted his pillow when 
 reason yielded the reins and sceptre to the reckless sway 
 of the errant fancy. So harassing to his mind became 
 those horrid apparitions, that his days, as well as his 
 nights, were spent in terror, misery, and wretchedness ;
 
 228 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 and as a deceptive solace, he habitually resorted to the 
 deadening influence of intoxicating stimulants, which 
 only aggravated the horror of his condition. It happened 
 on the first night of November, a season long associated 
 with appalling sights and sounds, spells, enchantments 
 and infernal incantations, more than sufficient to shake 
 the stability of the most intrepid soul on this mystical 
 eve, as he reclined in his huge oaken easy-chair, and all in 
 a listless attitude of pensive stupor, the tempest howled in 
 the leafless forest, and raged with astounding fury around 
 the ancient biggin of his ancestors ; the massive doors 
 creaked on their hinges, the windows rattled in their 
 time-worn sockets, and the screech owl screamed in the 
 attics. The incessant vibrations of the edifice, produced 
 by the power of the storm, having sprung the latch that 
 secured the door of his parlour, he lifted his half-sealed 
 eyelids, and behold ! the ghost of his slaughtered son 
 appeared in ghastly prospect before him. Softly and 
 silently the grisly figure flitted across the haunted apart- 
 ment, clothed in the borrowed vesture, the very deceptive 
 guise by which the murderous missile was conducted to 
 the unsuspecting heart. The conscience-stricken squire 
 looked unutterable terror, while the terrific spectre, exhibit- 
 ing the pale aspect of death, bestudded with eyes of pierc- 
 ing expression, stared him wildly in the face. How 
 dreadful was the quaking horror inspired by the repulsive 
 prospect, when he beheld the mortal wound inflicted by his 
 guilty hand, and the blood streaming from the breast of 
 his own offspring ! He endeavoured to escape from a 
 sight so dismal and appalling, but all his efforts resulted 
 in failure ; every joint was loose in its socket, every 
 muscle paralysed, every nerve quivering in dread dismay, 
 and his entire physical system reduced to the helplessness 
 of infancy. A flattering voice at length issued from the 
 pallid lips of the apparition, or fancy whispered the
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 229 
 
 accents, " Father, behold thy murdered son ! Thou art 
 the unhappy man ! Thy soul is stained with his blood. 
 Cease to persecute the innocent." Unable any longer to 
 sustain this tempest of terror, and the furious commotion 
 of his internal faculties, he gave vent to an involuntary 
 shriek of awful import, that resounded with alarming 
 echo through every chamber, cavern, and gallery of the 
 antiquated mansion. The whole inmates, under the 
 resistless impulse of fear, rushed from their several apart- 
 ments as if all had been enveloped in flames. Curious 
 was the scene of wild confusion that instantly ensued, 
 for, ignorant of the matter, some ran one way and some 
 another, all with eager eyes staring through the haze of 
 consternation, till, entering the apartment where their 
 lord was secreted, they found him in a state of dormant 
 insensibility, all trembling and suffused with a cold 
 perspiration. From that appalling period of soul-chilling 
 horror, he appeared a timid child that had sucked from 
 its nurse the harassing belief that bogles and brownies 
 haunted every region of the world ; and during the dregs 
 of his earthly career, he never after would submit to 
 retirement, and was frequently observed, with shuddering 
 terror, to exclaim, even in the midst of conversation, 
 " D'ye see that !" This mental agony soon began to 
 commit awful ravages on his constitution, and the evident 
 tokens of premature demise began to manifest themselves 
 in a manner not to be mistaken. At his earnest request 
 the officiating priest of that district was brought into his 
 presence, to whom he confessed the murder of his own 
 son, and the whole circumstances connected therewith, 
 acquitting, at the same time, every other person of any 
 partnership in the guilt thereof; and after lingering for 
 a transient space on the giddy precipice of time, the 
 dreary confipes of eternal oblivion, he slipped through 
 the dark postern into the fathomless dominion of Hades. 
 u
 
 230 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 Amelia, the only surviving member of the family, was 
 now left desolate in this barbarous age of a rude inhos- 
 pitable world ; and having just passed her twentieth 
 year, she was, by the special mandate of her father, 
 subjected to the absolute control of a brazen -hearted 
 uncle, governed solely by a principle of indomitable 
 selfishness. Actuated by a brilliant beam of hope that 
 a mutual intimacy might be formed betwixt her and her 
 cousin, who was a youth possessed of considerable suavity 
 of manners, and by no means destitute of personal 
 attractions, he transferred the bereaved damsel from the 
 desolate mansion to the bosom of his own family, under 
 the specious pretext of pity on account of her lonely 
 situation, and assuaging her grief through the medium of 
 social intercourse. But after six months experience of 
 Amelia's dispositions, he was privileged with the discovery 
 that the tower of his sanguine hope was a mere vapour 
 in the brain, a bubble on the stream, an illusive phantom 
 based on the fleeting quicksands of fancy. All the 
 feigned kindness, the ingenious sophistry so unsparingly 
 lavished on the orphan, proved utterly ineffectual in 
 producing the desired consummation. Though the 
 glorious fulfilment of the soothsayer's prediction, in 
 regard to her subsequent fortune, still slumbered in the 
 dormant chrysalis, she still looked forward to the seventh 
 shedding of the foliage, when, like the butterfly fully 
 matured, it should develop itself in all its magnificence. 
 Her prudential guardian, having clearly perceived the 
 frustration of his laudable design, began to think seriously 
 within himself, that in the event of yes, he was heir- 
 at-law to the estate, and why then look on this as a 
 disappointment ? All the barrier that stood betwixt 
 him and the inheritance was only that jamming, weak- 
 minded lassie, as he supposed, who might be quietly 
 disposed of without incurring any serious loss to society.
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 231 
 
 But Uncle Charlie conceived a most erroneous opinion 
 as to the mental qualities of his niece ; though exhibiting 
 the delicate frame of a female, that slender casement 
 enclosed a mind of masculine fortitude and heroic 
 courage. With all the feigned blandishment and affected 
 sympathy that the subtle ingenuity of a devil could 
 possibly devise, he one day took occasion to dilate, with 
 much apparent concern, on the delicate state of her health, 
 adding, at the same time, that he had secured for her a 
 temporary residence on the Island of May, with the Lady 
 Abbess of the convent, that she might enjoy the recruit- 
 ing influence of the sea air and change of scenery. 
 Though somewhat astonished by the proposition, as 
 she was not sensible of any unhealthy symptoms in her 
 constitution, she cordially acceded to the proposition, 
 having little enjoyment in her present situation, and was 
 forthwith transported thither. 
 
 Now the mischievous plots of the most malignant 
 being in the universe, whether man or devil, would be 
 circumscribed within a narrow compass did their execu- 
 tion depend solely on his own personal exertions. Even 
 the arch-fiend himself, possessing neither the attributes 
 of omniscience nor omnipresence, might be comparatively 
 harmless were it not for the host of emissaries which he 
 always commands, winged with loyalty, and ready to 
 speed on the accomplishment of every unhallowed voli- 
 tion. The abbess referred to by her uncle was neither 
 more nor less than a hired miscreant of his own sex, 
 habited in female attire, who was appointed to accompany 
 the unsuspecting stranger in all her excursive rambles 
 over the island. He was to conduct her to some pre- 
 cipitous verge, under pretence of observing the sea-fowl 
 nestling in the cliffs, and opportunely cause her to stumble? 
 just as it were by accident, over the precipice into the 
 flood beneath. This nefarious commission was not to be
 
 232 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 executed speedily, lest it should engender suspicion and 
 incite unpleasant inquiry. Amelia, however, being 
 wholly unaccustomed to the giddy footing of those lofty 
 promontories, in every critical position clung so closely 
 and so tenaciously to her veiled companion, that the 
 carrying out of the design appeared utterly impracticable, 
 as in the event of stumbling, whether by accident or 
 otherwise, both must have shared the same untimely 
 fate. But the crisis of Amelia's majority was rapidly 
 approaching, beyond which the catastrophe could by no 
 means be postponed ; and the feigned abbess, having 
 spent a sleepless night in devising schemes, and planning 
 projects for the next, the fatal day, when he was to 
 earn the palm of glory or the badge of ignominy, came 
 forth in his treacherous guise to salute his unconscious 
 victim. Having engaged in familiar converse, they 
 walked on together like two most affectionate friends 
 towards the brink of the precipice designed as the final 
 termination of Amelia's earthly pilgrimage. He directed 
 her attention to some aquatic object fo-r the express 
 purpose of taking her off her guard, that he might with- 
 out one struggling effort effect the horrid plunge ; but 
 instead of turning her eyes in the direction pointed out, 
 she looked through the veil of her guide, and with a 
 bland smile, said she would like to be one of these birds, 
 they look so innocent, so loving and happy. Just at this 
 critical moment, when the mercenary wretch should have 
 executed his fiendish commission, he recoiled with horror 
 from the precipice, dragging the damsel along with him, 
 and all shuddering under some violent nervous affection, 
 sunk down on the grass. Whether this was produced by 
 the natural emotions of love, kindled by the smile of 
 beauty, to which the heart of youth is ever susceptible, 
 or whether it was the stirring of a divine impulse in 
 his soul, could never be ascertained, as the disparity
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 233 
 
 of rank precluded every expression of his feelings, except 
 " Ah, me ! I'm undone, for I cannot." Amelia, deeply 
 concerned on account of this peculiar occurrence, sat 
 down beside her companion, who on recovering a certain 
 degree of composure, declared that he would now discover 
 the sole purpose of her exilement to that island, provided 
 she would pledge herself to inviolable secrecy, for, did 
 the matter transpire, his life would most assuredly go 
 for hers. Having received the solemn pledge, he threw 
 off the veil of deception, and spoke with the open face, 
 not of an abbess, but a young man of rather prepossessing 
 appearance. He told her the whole was a concerted 
 scheme to deprive her of life ; that he had undertaken to 
 execute the infernal device, and assumed the disguise for 
 that purpose. He told her not to be alarmed by his 
 faichful confession, or in any wise apprehensive of danger ; 
 for though her life had been in his hand for some months, 
 and every time he walked out with her it was for no 
 other purpose than to deprive her of existence, she was 
 now as safe with him as if she were in the arms of her 
 mother ; but she must be concealed for his sake until a 
 favourable opportunity should offer for her release, as he 
 behoved to announce at head-quarters that her murder 
 was accomplished. He therefore conducted her to an 
 unfrequented cave at the South Ness, and secreted her 
 in that subterraneous solitude, telling her not to be 
 startled or terrified, for he would visit her residence after 
 nightfall, in his real costume, and bring such things as 
 her comfortless situation most required, declaring that 
 though he was but an humble vassal, bowing beneath 
 the tyrant's rod, he would visit her when he should sleep, 
 and minister to her comfort, according to his ability, 
 even at the peril of his own life. 
 
 Now when all the islanders were shut up in their 
 nocturnal retirement, the stars of the firmament looked 
 u2
 
 23i HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 down with twinkling joy on the benighted wight wend- 
 ing his way across the isolated world, not with the 
 malignant heart of a demon, prosecuting a rimrderous 
 purpose, but as a ministering angel, glowing with 
 heavenly benevolence. The scanty provision provided 
 for his own sustentation, the rustic clothing in which he 
 recruited exhausted nature with the balm of repose, all 
 that a renewed heart, anxious to alleviate the sufferings 
 of persecuted humanity, could possibly command, is borne 
 on his shoulders to the dreary cavern to sustain and 
 comfort the very being whom, but a few hours before, he 
 sought to banish beyond the precincts of time and 
 expunge from the records of life. On arriving at the 
 entrance of the cave, he spoke softly before exposing his 
 concealed light, lest the chill of terror should annoy her 
 bosom ; and the young lacly, sitting immured in the 
 darkness of death, instantly recognising his feminine 
 voice, responded with a degree of ease and confidence 
 which, under the extraordinary circumstances, he had no 
 reason to expect. 'Twas then by the aid of his glim- 
 mering rush-light that she first, perceived the rugged 
 domicile which, by stern decree, she had in exchange for a 
 palace. She looked on him with a smile of confiding affa- 
 bility which pierced him to the soul ; and he wept bitterly 
 on the horrid recollection that the amiable being whose 
 lovely eyes beamed with life would erenow have been 
 dashed on the craggy cliffs, or drowned in the foaming 
 flood, had not his villanous arm been arrested in its 
 murderous career. She endeavoured by every endearing 
 sentiment to assuage the anguish of his wounded spirit, 
 and stay the streaming torrent of his relenting grief ; 
 while, under the influence of inexpressible emotion, he 
 spread for her yes, for the high-born heiress the humble 
 couch of rest, and smoothed the pillow for the head of 
 persecuted innocence. Having done all that was in his
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 235 
 
 power to mitigate the miseries of her dreary situation, it 
 was with painful reluctance that he withdrew from her 
 presence, and left her to spend the night in her lonely 
 solitude, silent as the shadow of death. Here leave the 
 ill-starred lady in the desolate land of her captivity under 
 the fostering care of what ? a being specially com- 
 missioned to effect her destruction, and glance for a little 
 on the doings in the land of her birth fields, wilds, and 
 woodlands of her legitimate inheritance. 
 
 Intelligence having reached the ear of Uncle Charlie 
 that his niece had stumbled over a cliff on the margin of 
 the island, and finally disappeared amongst the tumbling 
 billows of the ocean, he shed a few crocodile tears 
 which, for connection's sake, he always had on command. 
 And deepening the weeds of his mourning, to gull the 
 dim sight of mortals, while his hollow heart, concealed in 
 the sable vesture, bounded with avaricious delight, he 
 now strutted forth as sole heir to his brother's possessions. 
 
 In this ever-changing theatre of instability, great and 
 many are the revolutions that a few months sometimes 
 effect in a small district. By a sudden stroke of fate the 
 laird of Thirdpart was prematurely transferred from the 
 bustling stage of time and all its varying scenery, to the 
 land of unchanging stillness, silence, and gloomy repose. 
 And his only son Josiah, having some years ago vanished 
 beyond the ken of the district, and his name all but sunk 
 in the dark gulf of forgetftilness, forth comes a distant 
 relative, riding sublime on the towering billows of hope, 
 and furnished with credentials to prove his title to the 
 inheritance. 
 
 Who in such circumstances, such fortuitous emergen- 
 cies, could suppress the swelling emotions of internal 
 transport ? Here without peril, labour, or anxiety, he 
 succeeds {o splendour and luxurious ease, just as the lilies 
 of the field to their glory and magnificence. Such wind-
 
 236 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 falls sometimes occur in this world of uncertain turmoil, 
 imparting consequence to insignificant mortals, but they 
 are rare, like the visits of angels, and sometimes come 
 by the wind and vanish by the water. But to return 
 to the island. 
 
 The fair and delicate Amelia has now been eight clays 
 and nights entombed amid the chilling damps of the sub- 
 terrannean cave, duly, dutifully, and assiduously attended 
 by the transformed abbess, who devoted his hours of 
 liberty to privation and imprisonment with the hapless 
 victim of insatiable avarice. Upon the same memorable 
 first night of November, precisely two years subsequent 
 to that on which her father was favoured with a diet of 
 visitation from the manes of his murdered son, Amelia, 
 in her doleful habitation, first experienced the sickening 
 twinges of terror ; while she sat absorbed in pensive 
 musings on the past, the elements of nature, roused from 
 a lengthened period of slumber, severed the bond of 
 peace, and burst forth in fierce, terrific conflict. The 
 raving tempest groaned and howled in the mouth of the 
 vault, producing gloomy and horrid echoes in the dark 
 interior. The sea, lifting up her stupendous billows, 
 foamed and dashed, and roared with a voice of thunder 
 amongst the rugged cliffs that opposed its fury. The 
 vivid lightning flashing from the canopy of pitchy dark- 
 ness, and quivering with luminous blaze through the 
 raging atmosphere, only served to heighten the surround- 
 ing gloom. And the open windows of heaven poured 
 down the exhaled moisture in gushing torrents, wafted 
 on the impetuous blast. No sound was heard in the 
 kingdom of animate nature, save the wild scream of the 
 sea-fowl competing with the hoarse noise of the elemen- 
 tal war. To all these horrors was superadded the dread 
 recollection that, on the previous night, she had dreamed 
 that a giant of appalling stature arose from the abyss of
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 237 
 
 the ocean, exhibiting an eye of fire blazing in his fore- 
 head, and speaking with a voice that shook the island to 
 its centre ; that this tremendous image entered the 
 frowning confines of the cavern, invaded her solitary 
 retirement, and advancing towards the couch of her 
 repose, clasped her in the cold grasp of death. All these 
 reflections within, the dread convulsions of nature with- 
 out, and entertaining no hope of her accustomed visitor, 
 by reason of the intemperate elements, rendered this the 
 most distressful period of her eventful history. But in 
 the very depth of this cloud of congregated miseries, the 
 well-known accents of her peculiar friend, as he entered 
 the cave, " It's me," again saluted her ears. This was an 
 angel's visit whose cheering influence dispelled a cloud 
 of insupportable gloom. She rose to meet him, still 
 evincing the quaking effects of terror, and in a sort of 
 frantic ecstacy, seized him by the hand and sat him down 
 beside her. This unwonted familiarity, and the paleness 
 of fear still mantling her visage, agonized his heart and 
 convinced him that some uncomfortable feeling was 
 exercising authority over her natural demeanour. Know- 
 ing his own character, and erroneously supposing that her 
 disquietude arose from a want of confidence in his pro- 
 fessions of friendship, he again, in a flood of tears, pro- 
 tested that, though engaged and hired as her destroyer, 
 he was willing, nay, ready, to give his life for hers. She 
 consoled him by an involuntary burst of feeling, that 
 never was a human face, save one, more acceptable to her 
 than was his own that night ; and he had nothing to 
 fear, were she but released from that bondage. Embold- 
 ened by such sentiments from one whom he knew to be 
 a lady of fortune, and observing her apparent agitation 
 of mind, he determined not to abandon her to the 
 miseries of that frightful solitude, but, reckless of all 
 consequences, to watch over her during that dread-inspir-
 
 238 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 ing night. In answer to a question, he was just pro- 
 ceeding to narrate the blood-chilling particulars of a fatal 
 shipwreck that occurred in that part of the island, during 
 a similar tempest nearly twelve months before, when he 
 was suddenly interrupted by an appalling shriek as if 
 uttered by a combination of human voices. Leaving the 
 glimmering rush for the comfort of Amelia, he threaded 
 his dubious way to the vestibule of the cave, from whence 
 he descried a huge dingy object looming in the dark dis- 
 tance, and wallowing on the turbulent bosom of the boil- 
 ing foam. He stared with gaping wonder, through the 
 black fury of the tempest, until the dark mountain, with 
 a fearful crash, vanished in the smothering surf, like a 
 flitting meteor in the ocean of infinitude. And neither 
 sight nor sound being perceptible within the range of his 
 mystified organs, saving the furious raging of the storm, 
 he returned to the lady under the full impression that his 
 senses had been gulled by an illusion of fancy. Scarce 
 had he resumed his narrative, when his attention was 
 again arrested by a scrambling noise at the entrance of 
 the cavern. Under the influence of considerable excite- 
 ment, which he endeavoured to conceal, he again sallied 
 forth on a reconnoitring expedition, when his watchful 
 ears were astounded by the voice of a human being 
 exclaiming, in stifled accents, " Mercy, mercy on a dying 
 mortal !" This was a single survivor from among the 
 company of an ill-fated vessel that had foundered in the 
 distance. When the fatal catastrophe occurred, he had 
 the presence of mind tr/ clasp a small empty cask in his 
 arms, and by the buoyance of which he was borne on a 
 billow of Providence till he found himself thrown pro- 
 strate on the rugged shore ; and being ignorant in what 
 region of the world he was cast, he was seized by the 
 painful apprehension that though he had escaped the 
 ruthless fury of the elements, he might fall a victim to
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 239 
 
 the plundering propensity of more relentless man. Here 
 was the guardian of Amelia now wrapt in a most per- 
 plexing dilemma. He could not abandon the ship- 
 wrecked stranger to his fate, and however willing to 
 wade through the tempest and awaken the islanders to 
 his assistance, he could not leave the lonely female des- 
 titute of his presence amid the horrors of the scene ; and, 
 further, the adoption of such an alternative was eminently 
 calculated to develop the whole plot. He hastens to 
 apprise his lovely charge of the disastrous event, whose 
 high-toned sympathies in behalf of the sufferer at once 
 absorbed the miseries of her own situation, and diverted 
 the deep-flowing current of self-concern into a wide 
 channel of pure disinterested humanity. She resigned 
 her borrowed couch, and all its humble comforts, to the 
 hapless being whose life, like her own, had been mirac- 
 ulously preserved. Becoming modesty forbade her inter- 
 ference with the shipwrecked wanderer, who appeared 
 all pale, shivering, and exhausted, while his eyes rolled 
 in wild destraction, and his dripping hair hung loosely 
 over his dejected visage ; but a few hours of calm repose 
 having recruited his physical exhaustion, restored sus- 
 pended consciousness, and rectified his disordered features, 
 she gazed with expressive looks of increasing earnestness, 
 aided by the faint glimmerings of an expiring taper, on 
 the visage of the stranger, whilst the stirrings of her body 
 betrayed the emotions of her soul. Overcome at length 
 by an ungovernable impulse of feeling, she exclaimed, 
 " Gracious Heaven ! What do mine eyes behold ! What ! 
 a baseless vision, a mere creation of fancy ! or, in very 
 deed, the long-lost Josiah, friend of my early youth, the 
 companion of my thoughtless childhood." Her guardian, 
 in dumb astonishment, looked aghast, supposing that her 
 sufferings had induced a fit of mental aberration. And 
 the stranger, raising his head from the pillow of repose, 
 said
 
 240 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 " Who speaks ? Where, in what enchanted land has 
 fate disposed of me ? Who utters that name ? I once 
 was Josiah in the shadowy forests of Thirdpart ; but 
 where am I now ? and what ?" What a moment of 
 thrilling agitation, as if body and soul were jumbled into 
 one chaos of wild disorder ! She sprang with frantic 
 rapture to the couch where he reclined, and catching him 
 by the hand with more than modest grasp, fell silent in 
 a gust of overwhelming amazement. Their mutual 
 recognition presented a scene of extravagant feeling, of 
 ardent affection and vehement caress, which the callous 
 heart of cold, calculating humanity could never conceive. 
 Never were entranced mortals more involved in a whirl- 
 wind of surprise, more bewildered in a halo of dazzling 
 delight ; whilst their spell-bound attendant, fixed in the 
 trammels of perplexity, gazed with rivetted silence, like 
 a petrified statue. The whole subterranean group of 
 mysterious mortals, amazed at themselves and each other, 
 wondered themselves beyond the power of wonder ; and 
 the rugged course to the goal of hymeneal bliss, which 
 these faithful lovers were destined to traverse, imparted 
 a poignant zest to their subsequent feast of enjoyment. 
 
 The excited elements having exhausted their fury on 
 the world wrapt in darkness, the morning twilight was 
 ushered in with inviting tranquillity ; and Amelia's 
 watchful attendant, perceiving through the haze that 
 erewhile obscured his mental discernment, that the 
 marvellous events with which he was so intimately 
 connected were speedily to develop themselves in a blaze 
 of dazzling astonishment, became inspired with unshrink- 
 ing courage and noble independence. He, with bound- 
 ing heart and elastic tread, speeds to his humble <;ot 
 with the fleet agility of a mountain deer, for the express 
 purpose of habiting the shipwrecked stranger in his own 
 holiday vestments, being dishabilled by the fatal disaster ;
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 241 
 
 \vlio, on his appearance amongst the islanders, was as 
 foreign to their remembrance as if he had recently 
 dropped from the feet of Jupiter. Here comes a yacht 
 gliding gallantly on the bosom of the flood, with a 
 splendid ensign floating in the breeze ; in this was the 
 assumed laird of Thirdpart, on his first visit to take 
 cognizance of his isolated territory. While he was 
 traversing the island with majestic stride, and heart 
 inflated with the windfall of fortune, he approached too 
 near the margin, when he was kindly warned of hi.s 
 danger by the fact of a young lady, just nine days ago, 
 having stumbled and vanished for ever in the streaming 
 flood. Josiah heard all, observed all, and considered all 
 in silence. At length, says he, " shall I call the lady 
 out of the flood?" They laughed him to scorn, and said 
 one to another, " Whar's that skeir man come frae ?" 
 Then Josiah, with odd gesticulation, called her name 
 three times over, and the drowned lady was immediately 
 discovered emerging from the shady concealment of a 
 projecting cliff". Some faces assumed the paleness of 
 death itself, bewraying the heart-felt conviction that it 
 was her ghost which, by some incantation, he had roused 
 . before the time, i.e., before twa an' forty days had elapsed, 
 and others, with a wide-mouthed Ha, ha, ha! construed 
 the whole affair into a concerted guising sport for the 
 amusement of the new laird. But perceiving, as she 
 advanced, that it was the identical being in dress and 
 features, gait and person, all became influenced by a 
 dumbfoundering impulse of feeling, and stared at each 
 other with foreboding eyes and expressive silence. The 
 lady was now submitted to the scrutiny of the monk, 
 who declared that it was a most striking apparition, that 
 the conjurer was evidently in league with the infernal 
 powers, and that he must be transmitted to the proper 
 quarter to be confessed in the usual manner. Josiah 
 x
 
 242 HISTORICAL SIvETCIIKS 
 
 merely replied that were he conveyed to the coast, he 
 would by no means disguise his power, but would there 
 afford additional evidence of his power by reclaiming 
 another being from the obscurity of the tomb. The 
 assumed proprietor, dreading skaith, lest, by the resurrec- 
 tion of his predecessor, he should be expelled from the 
 lairdship, proposed that the conjurer should rather be 
 put in confinement there ; but the boatmen refused to 
 put to sea unless the request of the grue carlin were 
 granted, rightly supposing that if he could bring one 
 being up alive, after lodging nine days in the dark depths 
 of the ocean, he could as easily send a whole boat's crew 
 to the bottom with one frown of his displeasure. There- 
 fore, he and the mysterious apparition were reluctantly 
 received on board, under charge of the very man who 
 witnessed the failing of the lady over the precipice, that 
 ostensible evidence might be adduced. The distance, 
 which does not exceed four miles, was rapidly disposed 
 of under the propelling influence of a favourable breeze ; 
 and Josiah, with the fruit of his incantation, was 
 delivered over to the authorities of Crail, charged with 
 the crime of divination, and of being lineally descended 
 from the Witch of Endor. By permission, he proceeded, 
 with his retinue (under an escort of infantry from the 
 castle), to the tenantry of Thirdpart, where he was 
 pledged to exhibit another manifestation of his infernal 
 power. His peculiar enchantment, however, was first 
 visibly exercised on the subjects of animate nature. No 
 sooner had he gained a footing on the lands of his 
 nativity, than he was instantly recognized by the vassals, 
 who were watching the progress of the uncouth proces- 
 sion ; and by one flourish of his bonnet, all apparently 
 controlled by a potent spell, abandoned their implements 
 of toil, and with unclad skulls, rallied around him, 
 dancing, bounding, shouting, waving their bonnets, and
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 243 
 
 evincing the most extravagant ebullitions of transport. 
 The entire district, catching infection, rushed to the scene 
 of commotion, shouting through the sheer force of 
 example ; while the vassals from Amelia's domains, 
 astounded by the hue and cry, brought up the rear of 
 the wondering concourse. During this discordant medley 
 of human voices, hens cackling, cocks crowing, ewes 
 bleating, cattle lowing, and the wild boars in the distant 
 forest squeaking in concert, the military commander 
 stood staring through a haze of inexpressible amazement, 
 and the assumed laird by his side looking all the colours 
 of the iris. The scarlet-clad dragoon being absolutely 
 lost in the outre affair, stept into the centre of the tumul- 
 tuous crowd where stood Josiah with Amelia in his arm, 
 and tapping him on the shoulder, requested an explana- 
 tion, as the whole affair seemed wrapt in mystery. He 
 therefore acquainted him that the lady, by some manoe- 
 uvre, had been reputed dead for nine days, though still 
 existing in the valley of vision, and himself had been 
 reckoned, for five years, amongst the legions that crowd 
 the oblivious world, though still in the land of vicissitude 
 that both were in his presence, and he could satisfy 
 himself that they were tangible beings, and not mere 
 illusions of satanic agency; and, further, that he was heir to 
 these lands, as the only son of his deceased father, and he 
 appealed to these demonstrations of joy for the truth of 
 his statement, and to his protection in the vindication of 
 his right. The heir-presumptive perceiving that the 
 game was up, and that one effort of resistance would 
 place his personal safety in a very precarious condition, 
 at once resigned all claim, and publicly recognised Josiah, 
 the reputed wizard, as the legal proprietor of all. 'The 
 matter being thus amicably settled, they entered the 
 mansion accompanied with the military retinue, and 
 regaled themselves in harmony, after which the balked
 
 24i HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 laird took his departure, whistling on his thumb for want 
 of a better instrument ; and Amelia's faithful and loving 
 band of vassals conducted her in triumph to her own 
 domicile, and freed Uncle Charlie of his irksome respon- 
 sibility. The news of these marvellous events created a. 
 vast sensation over the whole Kingdom of Fife, and many 
 grandees from distant quarters came to visit and congra- 
 tulate the two mysterious beings whom they could con- 
 template under no other character than that of inexpli- 
 cable prodigies. And these lovers having travelled over 
 a long, a rugged, and dreary path beset with innumer- 
 able terrors, and strewed with piercing thorns, arrived at 
 the hymeneal altar, and experienced the happy, the com - 
 plete consummation of their long-cherished hopes. And 
 their long and varied course of fearful hardships, which 
 frequently produce a searing tendency, only served to 
 render more flexible those amiable hearts that ever glowed 
 with benevolence. And reflecting on the dreadful catas- 
 trophes, the appalling sacrifice of human life, that ever 
 and anon were attributable to the dark Island of May, 
 on the principle of gratitude to Heaven for the signal 
 preservation which both had there experienced, and dis- 
 interested kindness to their fellow-mortals, they designed 
 and caused to be executed a beacon-tower with a coal- 
 chaft'er on its summit, to warn the benighted mariners of 
 their danger and guide them onward to their destination. 
 This is said to have occurred about the end of the fifteenth 
 century, and claims the merit of being the first attempt to 
 enlighten the island. This identical beacon, based on 
 divine gratitude and copped with genuine philanthropy, 
 continued to shed the cheering beams over the deep for 
 nearly a century and a-half, and is said to have been 
 maintained solely at the expense of the originators dur- 
 ing the whole period of their natural existence. They 
 enjoyed a long series of matrimonial felicity, frequently
 
 OF TIIK ISLAND OF MAY. 245 
 
 visiting the island, inspecting the luminous tower, and 
 the solitary cave, the hallowed scene of their marvellous 
 meeting, the being who was the honoured instrument of 
 their preservation accompanying them in all their excur- 
 sions. How the light was supported during the period 
 that intervened betwixt their demise and the taking up 
 of the subject by the Scottish Parliament in 1535 is not 
 exactly stated ; but about this time it was supplanted 
 by another on a similar plan, though on a more exalted 
 scale, by decree of the Estates, and a tax levied on the 
 shipping for its maintenance, which produced consider- 
 able murmuring in certain quarters. 
 
 In life's early dawn, when the sunbeams of joy 
 
 Shine bright in the bosom unsullied with care, 
 This globe all divested of aught to annoy, 
 
 All lovely may seem and transpovtingly fair. 
 How lovely the paths all with flowerets bedecked, 
 
 Whose beauty and fragrance the senses invite ; 
 In the breast flows a streamlet of pleasure unchecked, 
 
 While it basks in the glow of untainted delight. 
 
 But ah ! thoughtless youth how deceptive the scene? 
 
 Tis all but enchantment alluring the heart, 
 Like the meteor blazing in glory serene, 
 
 Earth's fancied delights, all illusive, depart. 
 Ere the sun that illumes the horizon of life 
 
 Has yet to the zenith of glory attained, 
 The sky's oft obscured by the tempest of strife, 
 
 And hope's brightest radiance with shadows distained. 
 
 In the bosom of youth, unsuspecting and gay, 
 
 While love's tender flame in pure fervency glows, 
 The rude throes of fate fairest prospects bewray, 
 
 And mortals submerge in an ocean of woes. 
 But oft while the shades of despondency lower, 
 
 And darkness each glimmering of solace conceals, 
 Time, rolling in silence with mystical power, 
 
 New prospects of brighter effulgence reveals. 
 
 x2
 
 246 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 NOTWITHSTANDING the baleful consequences of man's 
 pristine revolt, in common with " the fruit of that 
 forbidden tree," an opinion is still prevalent amongst the 
 learned and wise, that man is naturally a religious being ; 
 and however vague his notions of Divinity, however 
 wild, obscure, and bewildered may be the ideas of 
 untutored barbarism in regard to the performance of 
 acceptable worship, the fact supplies no evidence what- 
 ever that the opinion is built on a basis of error. Even the 
 rudest tribes that traverse the most barbarous regions of 
 the peopled earth, still, through the thousands of genera- 
 tions, exhibit confused symptoms of the primitive impress 
 of Divinity, faintly legible in the soul immured in a 
 dungeon of rayless ignorance, and groping mid the 
 tangly mazes of superstition, the grovelling ideas of 
 Deity entertained by unaided reason, sheltered and 
 mystified by revolt, may appear absurd, and horribly 
 revolting to the contemplative mind, illumined by divine 
 revelation. Peculiar, indeed, may be the devotional 
 exercises which the various climes of earth exhibit, yet 
 the very fact that such feelings exist in untutored 
 humanity, evinces the certainty of an intuitive convic- 
 tion that some mighty existence controls the universe, 
 pervades the boundless regions of nature, and from whose 
 omniscient glance naught in creation lies unnoticed or 
 disregarded. 
 
 That all the diversified tribes of men are convinced of 
 their accountability to this great invisible being in some 
 way or other, is clearly discovered by the various methods 
 which darkened reason suggests as the means of appeas- 
 ing his justly incurred indignation, and averting the 
 torrent of impending wrath.
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 247 
 
 These dread forebodings of undefined vengeance like- 
 wise demonstrate an instinctive conviction of guilt on 
 the part of millions who possess no statute of inhibition 
 or injunction, save the dim traces of divinity originally 
 stamped upon the soul, sullied and dishonoured by the 
 stains of revolt ; and the heart-rending, blood-chilling 
 means of atoning for offences and expiating guilt, afford 
 a striking proof of the appalling apprehensions that a 
 sense of delinquency ever awakens in the conscious soul. 
 
 What civilised imagination could glance over the 
 benighted tracts of the peopled world, and behold, with- 
 out profound emotion, the sacrificial piles blazing on the 
 blindly consecrated heights, and in awful grandeur heav- 
 ing their fiery columns into the regions of space, while 
 the hapless human victims, chained amid the furious 
 element, writhe in torturing atonement for the guilt of 
 their fellows ? Nay, how do all the rational sympathies 
 of nature shrink and recoil from the contemplation of 
 scenes so revolting, so pregnant with overwhelming 
 horror scenes which derive their crimson colour, their 
 horrid existence solely from a bewildered impression of 
 religion still inherent in the mind, still perceptible amid 
 the noxious vermin that harbour amongst the wrecks, the 
 ruins, the rubbish of apostacy ? Alas ! how miserably 
 defaced is now the once glorious stamp of divinity ! No 
 less dismal was the cloud of intellectual darkness, no less 
 barbarous the system of intuitive religion that once pre- 
 vailed in the highly favoured land of Caledonia, than 
 that which still manifests itself in the remote islands of 
 the ocean, where the standard of civilisation has never 
 been erected, where the banner of revealed religion has 
 never been unfurled, where the seraphic strains that once, 
 with thrilling rapture, greeted the ears of the night- 
 wrapt shepherds on the plains of Bethlehem, have never 
 been heard. Can the rational mind conceive a spectacle
 
 248 , HISTORICAL SKETCnFS 
 
 more appalling than the monstrous, the gigantic image 
 framed of wickerwork, enclosing a group of human 
 victims doomed to destruction, and all sacrificed at once 
 on the blazing altar of horrid barbarity, while the naked, 
 painted, savage Caledonians, with terrific mien, danced 
 and yelled around the flaming pile, whose smoking 
 incense, borne on the winds of heaven, was designed to 
 appease the indignation of some imagined being to whom 
 they owed their existence, and whose wrath they were 
 conscious of having incurred ? Such were the ancient 
 characteristics of a nation now basking in the splendours 
 of science, now enjoying the refined polish of civilisation, 
 and glowing in the grateful beams of unfettered freedom, 
 sacred and civil a nation whose laws and literature 
 have long rendered it the envy of the world. 
 
 In every age of the world's history, an inherent sense 
 of benefits conferred, or signal deliverances effected, by 
 invisible agency, appears to have influenced the human 
 mind in a manner no less conspicuous than the conscious- 
 ness of guilt. Hence the building of altars, the erection 
 of pillars, and the dedication, setting apart, and conse- 
 crating stones of memorial. While others, less endued 
 with supernatural illumination, evinced their gratitude 
 by praising and extolling their imaginary deities, the 
 shrines of silver and images of gold. 
 
 In various instances during the past ages of the pre- 
 sent era this devotional feeling has frequently indulged 
 itself at a considerable expenditure of capital. The build- 
 ing of churches, and other hallowed conventicles, appears 
 to have been a favourite expression of soul-stirring grati- 
 tude on account of providential escapes from the rage of 
 the ocean, the ravages of the hurricane, the ruins of the 
 earthquake, the devastations of the mountain torrent, or 
 the fiery deluge of the bursting volcano. These peculiar 
 monuments of devotional feeling, pledged and proffered
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 249 
 
 amid the swelling tempest of heart -subduing terror, and 
 based on the rock of soul-exalting gratitude, are still 
 visible in various localities of the civilised world. Still 
 here and there imposing themselves on the vision of the 
 prying antiquary, these sacred relics of antiquity present 
 their hoary aspect, " shattered with age and furrowed 
 o'er with years." And the Island St Adrian of May (so 
 designated in certain ancient records) enjoys the distin- 
 guishing honour of sustaining the mouldering remains of 
 one of these anciently erected structures. 
 
 This edifice, destitute of every attraction save its anti- 
 quity, has been elsewhere slightly alluded to in certain 
 notable events still legible on the time-worn page of tra- 
 dition ; and our present purpose is, to trace its origin 
 through the dark clouds that obscure the ages of the 
 past, and the peculiar circumstances from which it is 
 understood to have derived its existence. 
 
 At what period of the world's blood-stained history 
 did the glorious star of national independence first shed its 
 majestic beams on the mountains, the forests, the floods 
 of Caledonia ? In what epoch of revolving time did her 
 untutored inhabitants, wild and ferocious, first inhale the 
 indomitable spirit of uncompromising freedom by which 
 they have ever been characterised ? Under what adven- 
 titious circumstances did the errant genius of roaming 
 liberty first inspire their glowing bosoms with a deadly 
 hatred of venal servility ? and from what tribe of 
 undaunted, lion-hearted mortals did the sons of Scotia 
 derive their primitive existence ? are questions so deeply 
 involved in the shades of antiquated obscurity as to 
 render their solution wholly impracticable. 
 
 However easy it may be to defend the fortress that 
 was never besieged, and to exhibit resolute prowess 
 where no conflicting elements exist, and to manifest 
 contempt of danger in its total absence, such a state of
 
 250 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 blest quiescence has not been the felicitou3 fortune of 
 Scotland ; she is experimentally familiar with the strains 
 of the martial trumpet, the horrors of war and the 
 carnage of the battle-field. Her rugged domains, sacred 
 to the soul of a native Scot, have repeatedly become th*e 
 theatre of invading hostility, though never conceded to 
 the grasp of foreign ambition ; her intrepid sons have 
 oft sustained defeat in the field of sanguinary conflict, 
 but never bowed to tlije ignominious 'thrall of enslav- 
 ing subjugation. The imbecile court of an incensed and 
 indignant monarch may have suppressed the national 
 costume, under the fallacious hope of quenching 
 the ardour of the national spirit, and extinguishing 
 the inherent flame of independence that blazed in the 
 Caledonian breast ; but in times of subsequent peril, when 
 the British throne reeled amid the thunders of war, 
 insulted monarchs rejoiced to perceive the resumption of 
 the Celtic costume and the avva.kened prowess of the 
 Celtic soul. But the dominion of the Thistle is no more 
 the hostile theatre of foreign invasion, ravaging, plunder- 
 ing, and slaughter ; the ominous strains of the war-whoop 
 have long ceased to resound, in blood-stirring echoes, 
 amongst her heathy mountains. Her thousand streams, 
 and brooks, and rills, and rivulets, erewhile tinged with 
 the crimson of sanguinary conflict, roll in limpid purity 
 along the pebbled pavement of nature, with rushing 
 impetuosity, or steal in sluggish meanders, deep and 
 noiseless, through the fertile valleys, blooming in rich 
 luxuriance; and the peaceful olive folds itsshady umbrage 
 around the proud thistle, the emblem of invincible cour- 
 age. It may be remarked, however, in passing, that 
 impetuous spirits, restless and intrepid, when wanting 
 scope for their native energies, often lapse into a state of 
 listless indifference, sink down from the gorgeous eleva 
 tion of bold independence, and with unsinued mien stoop
 
 OF TI1K ISLAND OF MAY. 251 
 
 to the voluntary degradation of inglorious vassalage, 
 sneaking servility, or debasing pauperism. And, how- 
 ever much to be regretted, it is no less evident that a 
 similar process of mental deterioration is presently in 
 active operation amongst the humbler grades of Scottish 
 society, committing deplorable ravages on the charac- 
 teristic pride of that people, which has long been pro- 
 verbial. This is no idle surmise based on the dreaming 
 visions of fancy no baseless conjecture produced at 
 random by the power of slumbering or perverted reason 
 no distorted picture portrayed on the cobweb scenery of 
 the wild imagination, but a deliberate conclusion deduced 
 from legible facts both visible and tangible nay, the 
 clamorous applications for enrolment amongst the help- 
 less recipients of parochial support, the despicable vena- 
 lity that numerous districts exhibit, and the populous 
 registers of every charitable institution, afford an osten- 
 sible evidence of a most melancholy perversion of that 
 national independence, that high-toned nobility of soul, 
 that anciently pervaded the regions of mountain and flood. 
 That such a peculiar species of degeneracy, increasing and 
 augmenting in a fearful ratio, actually exists in these 
 domains, famous for light and liberty, appears as manifest 
 as if inscribed on the forests, the rugged rocks, and 
 shaggy mountains with a dazzling sunbeam ; and the 
 productive cause of this remarkable development is as 
 obviously attributable to a total change of circumstances, 
 a fortuitous revulsion in the system of national enter- 
 prise. 
 
 It will be readily admitted by all who are conversant 
 with their own extraction, that from their roaming 
 ancestors, inured to athletic adventures, springing with 
 elastic response to the wild strains of the pibroch, wield- 
 ing with vigorous dexterity their bows of trusty yew, 
 the Scots naturally inherit a proud, impetuous tempera-
 
 252 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 ment, a reckless spirit of intrepidity, and an ungovern- 
 able impatience under restraint. And with minds thus 
 constituted, the frequent invasions of their territories bv 
 foreign aggressors afforded ample scope for their martial 
 predilections ; and the conscious glory of their numerous 
 victories, rendered more inflexible their proud, unbending 
 disposition. 
 
 But, having long basked in the Morphean quiescence 
 of meek-eyed peace, and in their industrial pursuits 
 experienced the embarrassing vicissitudes of commerce, a 
 species of debasing apathy has gradually insinuated itself 
 into the intellectual empire, weakening the powers of 
 noble independence wrapt in the toils of ignorance and 
 subjugation; and the more predominant principle of action 
 being crampt in its tendencies and restrained in its 
 congenial exercise, the physical energies, yielding to the 
 apathetic influence, become the willing slaves of listless 
 inaction, while the mind, once the seat of lion-like 
 nobility, like a pool of stagnant water, engenders gro- 
 velling reptiles. 
 
 Were the most patriotic philosopher to hazard an 
 opinion that war, with its awfully desolating ravages, its 
 sickening train of blood-stained horrors, its heartrending 
 display of mangled and mutilated humanity, its appalling 
 exhibitions of legalised murder, confers a blessing on 
 any country, every intelligent philanthropist would at 
 once denounce the sentiment as monstrous, and impugn 
 the judgment of the being who uttered it. However, 
 the obscure annals of ancient Caledonia cannot be dis- 
 passionately contemplated without producing an indelible 
 impression that she derived peculiar advantages from 
 the repeated invasions of the Roman Caesars. From 
 these she appears to have received the first principles of 
 civilisation, of literature, and revealed religion nay, 
 even some of the Roman statutes still continue in full
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 253 
 
 force, and are occasionally acted upon by the best judges 
 in the Scottish courts of judicature at the present day. 
 
 In consequence of these invasions subsequent to the 
 introduction of the vulgar era, the Papal religion became 
 gradually disseminated over the length ^ and breadth of 
 the country. Chapels exhibited their transverse figures 
 in every eligible locality ; convents reared their vener- 
 able heads, with imposing aspect, shooting their aspiring 
 turrets of gorgeous statuary aloft in the mid- way air, and 
 priests, monks, priors, and confessors, the consecrated 
 machinery of Rome, performed their evolutions in har- 
 mony, being anointed with the golden oil of endowment. 
 
 Somewhere about the middle of the fourteenth century, 
 so far as can be discovered, through the mystifying haze 
 that obscures the long vanished ages of the past, a monk 
 of the highest order in Rome was commissioned by his 
 Holiness to visit the fanes and convents that interspersed 
 the various romantic landscapes of Scotland. The sea- 
 son selected for this important expedition was by no 
 means either propitious or inviting, being the month of 
 November, dark, gloomy, and tempestuous ; but the 
 papal decree was absolute, and any postponement of its 
 execution wholly impracticable. The commissioner being 
 under the despotic influence of intuitive apprehension, 
 that, in some ill-fated hour, he should abruptly terminate 
 his mortal existence by means of water, therefore the 
 days of his preparation for the voyage were the most 
 harassing that can possibly be imagined. A total 
 abstraction of thought rendered him utterly incapable of 
 ordering the necessary arrangements for his comfort on 
 the journey, and the balm of repose evanished like a 
 hunted spectre from his nocturnal pillow, or, if it de- 
 scended at all on his tumultuous senses, it was only to 
 scare him with visions of the foaming deep, the heaving 
 billows, the sinking bark, and the hideous shrieks of the 
 drowning occupants.
 
 251 HISTOKICAL SKETCHES 
 
 In the very prospect of such an excursion, some would 
 have been transported to the regions of imaginary bliss 
 on the buoyant wings of ecstacy ; their hours of linger- 
 ing would have been all absorbed in joyous and delight- 
 ful anticipation, and their transient intervals of refreshing 
 slumber sweetened by delectable visions of elysian enjoy- 
 ment. But how very opposite were the feelings that 
 possessed the mind of this sacred official feelings which, 
 to him, though still on time's side of the dark stream, 
 realized all the horrors of purgatory. As some abandoned 
 delinquent sentenced to expiate his guilt on the scaffold, 
 every hour's delay of the wind-bound vessel which was 
 to convey him to the land of freedom seemed to him 
 but the suspension of a decree which would, on its execu- 
 tion, effect a disjunction betwixt that living principle, 
 that intellectual essence, that eternal existence, from the 
 material fabric of exquisite mechanism which it animated: 
 therefore, the day of his embarkation was engraved on 
 his mental tablet as a mortal shaft charged with inevit- 
 able dissolution. 
 
 And glancing significantly on all the objects of time 
 with which he had been long familiar, this cloistered 
 ascetic sighed a last farewell to this visible creation and 
 all its enticing beauties. Although his sullen deport- 
 ment, his foreboding eyes, his whole sombre aspect 
 betrayed the intense emotions of his heart, he wanted 
 moral courage to hazard a single word of remonstrance ; 
 thus exemplifying the common adage, that " It is vain 
 to sit in Rome and contend with the Pope." 
 
 The vessel was bound for Leith, and the purpose of 
 the sacred commission was to honour the Scottish capital 
 with his first official visit, and favour the Court of the 
 reigning sovereign, David the Second, with his first effi- 
 cacious benediction. 
 
 Just after the celebration of the feast of Saint Martin,
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 255 
 
 the elements of nature having assumed an inviting aspect, 
 and the gentle breath of the atmosphere tending directly 
 in favour of the expedition, the gallant vessel, loosed 
 from her trammels, glided onward in glorious splendour 
 nnd majestic silence till she oped the waste waters of the 
 wide Atlantic. 
 
 From the farthest visual limits of that vast stupendous 
 scene of interminable strife, wave rolled on wave in end- 
 less succession, assailed the restive bark that reared and 
 plunged in noble contempt of their servile sway. 
 
 Under these circumstances, the rigid conventual, hav- 
 ing retired to his cabin, remained in close seclusion, 
 absorbed in meditation on his final transit ; for, although 
 no shadow of apprehended danger lowered on the brows 
 of the dauntless mariners, he perceived in every heaving 
 billow the gloomy harbinger of that fell catastrophe 
 which erelong should transfer him from the society of 
 tangible existence to the regions of invisible being. But 
 few indeed were the fleeting hours that rolled over his 
 devoted head ere he was thrown prostrate under that 
 nauseous affection from which few men, unaccustomed 
 to nautical excursions, are wholly exempted. The pecu- 
 liar movement, to which he was an utter stranger, in- 
 verted the tendencies of his whole internal machinery, 
 banished the symptoms of health from his countenance, 
 divested the world of its charms, and rendered the un- 
 willing subject of death regardless of all, even of life 
 itself. 
 
 This mental lassitude, however, was transient in dura- 
 tion as the flimsy cloud that flits across the glowing fir- 
 mament of heaven. He emerged from the shades of 
 sickness to the meridian blaze of health more robust than 
 he ever enjoyed ; the world became gorgeously replen- 
 ished with all the entrancing beauties that engage the 
 affections of rational humanity, and he clung with
 
 256 HISTORICAL SKETCH KS 
 
 increased tenacity to life's attenuated cordage. The 
 blazing radiance of the sun was quenched in the distant 
 main ; the crimsoned retinue of even had expired in the 
 western horizon, and night descended in all its placid 
 stillness. The vaulted canopy was as serene, the stars 
 as lucid in their splendour, and the moon as unsullied in 
 her lustre, as ever that azure infinitude, that magnificent 
 theatre, that gorgeous display of omnipotence shone down 
 on the world beneath. 
 
 A scene so replete with inimitable grandeur, a prospect 
 so transcendently glorious, a theme of lofty'contemplation 
 so inexhaustible, invited the austere recluse to exchange 
 the stagnant atmosphere of his seclusion to enjoy the 
 exhilarating influence that breathed in gentle whispers 
 through the ambient vault of heaven. Here, amid the 
 glories of a midnight scene which he had never before 
 witnessed on the mighty ocean, he stood like a rivetted 
 statue, clinging to the cordage of the vessel to maintain 
 his precarious footing, while he gazed with profound 
 admiration on the spacious crystal concave bestudded 
 with a thousand sparkling brilliants ; and his- entranced 
 meditation soaring beyond those regions of vicissitude, 
 Ixjcame lost and overwhelmed in the immensity of that 
 mysterious, all-pervading existence who "binds the sweet 
 influences of Pleiades, and guides Arcturus with his sons." 
 
 Thus absorbed in the mighty magnitude of his soul- 
 hewildering theme, and forgetful of the unstable position 
 which he occupied, his hands unconsciously relinquished 
 theirgrasp of the tackling on which his security depended; 
 when, lo ! a sudden lurch of the floating mansion plunged 
 him headlong amongst the rolling billows, a prey to the 
 rapacious monsters that roam at large in the fathomless 
 abyss. And is the venerable conventual lost for ever 
 amid the inscrutable wonders of the deep ? No ; the 
 Papal ecclesiastic is neither fixed in the devouring jaws
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 257 
 
 of the man-destroying shark, nor ensconced in the capa- 
 cious stomach of the whale, but floundering in the vessel's 
 wake, securely locked in the clutches gf an intrepid 
 mariner, no more courageous than humane, who ob- 
 served the death-staring emergency, and impelled by 
 the swellings of sympathy, at the imminent peril of his 
 own life, sped apace to the rescue of his fellow-creature. 
 
 Thus, by means of the pacific condition of the elements, 
 and the dauntless, the persevering activity of man, all 
 governed by a superintending Providence, his deliverance 
 from the portals of death was speedily accomplished, and 
 the Roman ambassador restored to the society of rational 
 beings. But if a soothing glimpse of peace ever pene- 
 trated the cloudy firmament of his mind since the official 
 announcement of his sacred embassage, it was now finally 
 extinguished, and he regarded this untoward event as a 
 mere foretaste of that impending fatality whereof he 
 entertained a gloomy presentiment ; therefore he firmly 
 resolved that no circumstance however propitious or 
 adverse, that no prospect however attractive or repulsive, 
 be death or life the ultimatum, should ever induce him 
 to abandon the wooden walls of his concealment till the 
 vessel was moored in her destined haven. 
 
 But his moping retirement effected no change on the 
 splendours of the stupendous scenery ; though his visual 
 organs ceased to behold and his fancy to admire, the 
 expansive tapestry of heaven retained all its azure 
 serenity ; the diversified orbs, mingling an infinitude of 
 glory, still burned with undiminished lustre ; the circum- 
 ambient flood, reflecting the gorgeous canopy of heaven, 
 still teemed with a magnificent conglomeration of lumin- 
 ous images that danced in flickering fragments on its 
 throbbing bosom ; and the floating vehicle careered 
 proudly amid the splendid confusion, still onward beneath 
 auspicious stars to the land of the brave. 
 
 Y2
 
 2.J8 HISTORICAL SKKTCHES 
 
 The austere conventual, all convulsed and deranged in 
 his physical organs by a copious absorption of the 
 Atlantic Ocean, though he had not actually gulped its 
 entire contents, and his intellectual system, in all its 
 faculties, wholly usurped by and subjugated under the 
 grisly horrors of drowning, had retired to his couch of 
 repose, when, lo ! his entire existence was suddenly 
 involved in a haze of impervious stupor, as under the 
 irresistible influence of a deadly soporific potion,. His 
 whole corporeal energies were instantly paralysed his 
 mental powers submerged iu Lethean depths of lethargic 
 stillness his judgment estranged his reason suspended 
 his imagination ungoverned and his wild fancy 
 rambled at large amongst the hideous images of its own 
 creation. Thus caught in the mysterious trammels of 
 enchantment, and enwrapt in the dark spell of incanta- 
 tion, awfully grand was the fancied landscape that 
 Hushed, that oped in all its terrific magnificence on his 
 distempered vision. The gorgeous heavens, the entrancing 
 subject of his previous contemplation, completely 
 divested of their azure glory and sparkling lustre, assumed 
 a deep veil of dismal sackcloth, dark as doomsday ; the 
 troubled atmosphere, rushing with furious impetuosity 
 into some tremendous vacuum, goaded the slumbering 
 element beneath into the most boisterous agitation and 
 unparalleled excitement, heaving its stupendous billows 
 into the midway air, in dreadful response to the dire 
 convulsion that raged in the void ether and shook the 
 spheres of heaven. An awful blaze of unsupportable 
 light burst with instantaneous flash from every pore of 
 the sable canopy like the final conflagration of empires, 
 while sounds of a terrific explosion pealed through the 
 vaulted regions like the crashing combat of a thousand 
 worlds ; the ocean quaking through its deepest recesses, 
 and abandoning the position originally assigned it, fled
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 259 
 
 from the spectator's presence, exposed its ancient depths 
 and countless wonders before unknown, unheard, unseen 
 by mortals. 
 
 While the enchanted ambassador was wallowing in 
 fancy amid this tumultuous elemental disorder, this 
 astounding chaos of marvels, all unnerved with terror, 
 fettered with amazement, and deluged with a torrent of 
 overwhelming consternation, quick as the conscious 
 thought vibrates from pole to polo, he found himself 
 exalted on a coral pyramid, based in the bed of the ocean 
 and towering in altitude like the brazen wonder of the 
 \vorld. As he gazed from thence on the wild objects of 
 creation, animate and inanimate, another burst of appal- 
 ling thunder roared through the immensity of space, 
 rending the confines of heaven, and shaking the system 
 of nature to its centre. 
 
 The estranged waters of the ocean, obsequious to the 
 potent citation, returned with rushing impetuosity to 
 the place of their primitive assignment, foaming and 
 dashing, and raging with ruthless fury around the tower 
 of his security. As he gazed with profound astonish- 
 ment on the boiling tumult that raved and rushed 
 around the basis of the lofty pillar on which he was 
 magically perched, behold, on the summit of a distant 
 billow rolling from afar, and advancing with fearful 
 menace, appeared in awful majesty the incomprehensible 
 genius of enchantment. His shapes, and hues, and atti- 
 tudes were as multifarious, wild, and diversified as the 
 romantic scenery which he frowns or smiles into mar- 
 vellous existence. Looming in stature like the great, the 
 gorgeous divinity, that once by sovereign decree exhi- 
 bited its form by the streams of Babel, he advanced with 
 incredible velocity, and, smiting the coral pyramid with 
 the mystical sceptre which he wielded, the whole became 
 a mass of irretrievable ruins, and vanished in the direful
 
 260 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 convulsions beneath. In this dreadful emergency, this 
 boisterous uproar of elements, the hand of some invisible 
 being caught hold of the venerable apostle's Aaronic 
 mustaches, by means of which he was opportunely 
 snatched from the yawning gulf of inevitable destruction. 
 
 Suspended, as it were, by a chain of interwoven moon- 
 beams, that faintly glimmered through the dusky veil 
 that obscured the azure (for naught else was familiar to 
 his vision), he skimmed the surface of the troubled waters 
 like his intrepid, his impetuous predecessor ; and terror- 
 stricken after the same similitude, the chain of his 
 suspension gradually relaxed, the billows heaved and 
 foamed with furious menace, and his pedestals descend- 
 ing deep into the turbulent waste, he invoked the manes 
 of Saint Peter in the regions of bliss to intercede for his 
 deliverance ; but no responsive sound was heard save the 
 hoarse noise of the raging elements, and no power inter- 
 posed in his behalf, until the fearful dilemma in which 
 he was involved had actually reached its last extremity. 
 
 When, lo ! an orb of translucid grandeur, burning in 
 glory and radiating streams of stupifying splendour, 
 illumed the sombre mantle of heaven with a brilliancy 
 more than adequate to the pure, primitive lustre of the 
 new-born sun ; and just as the great globe itself emerged 
 from the darkness of infinite nothing, an island, before 
 invisible, arose from the unfathomless abyss of the ocean, 
 and firm as the basis of the everlasting mountains, kythed 
 itself basking amid the blaze of ethereal fulgence, an 
 isolated world of rational inhabitants. 
 
 Here the enchanted conventual opportunely found an 
 asylum of quiescence, a blest retreat from the fierce con- 
 flicting perils which erewhile overwhelm his whole soul 
 in a tempest of dismay. This new creation, cast in the 
 forge of fancy, not only supplied a fortuitous deliverance 
 from the uproarious scene of jeopardy that foamed in
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 261 
 
 furious agitation around his quaking existence, but a 
 thrill of inexpressible delight shivered through all the 
 avenues of life, as if suddenly transported to the very 
 confines of Elysian bliss. 
 
 All above, around, and beneath, was serene, tranquil, 
 and lovely. And while his excursive eye rambled 
 amongst the unknown objects that occupied this new 
 horizon of marvels, a stately temple, rapid as the shelter- 
 ing gourd of the peevish prophet, heaved its venerable 
 turrets in the void, only surpassed in magnificence by 
 its inimitable predecessor that dazzled the mountains of 
 Salim. 
 
 While he gazed with rapt amazement on the gorgeous 
 architecture of this hallowed edifice, an holy desire, as if 
 divinely inspired, glowed in the secret recesses of his soul, 
 that he might enjoy the blissful privilege of worshipping 
 within its sacred precincts ; but no sooner had the spirit 
 of action stirred his physical energies in eager response 
 to the prompting emotions of his heart, than the great 
 magician with one flourish of his magic sceptre expunged 
 the Utopian dominion from the broad face of the visual 
 creation, and naught remained within the range of his 
 vision, but a wide unvaried waste of aquatic disorder. 
 
 Just at the climax of this appalling juncture, he was 
 encompassed by a cloud of inextricable bewilderment ; 
 and, caught in the wings of a spiral tempest, he was 
 transported with astounding impetuosity into the pure 
 ethereal region of the second heavens ; but the fierce 
 propelling impulse, having exhausted its influence before 
 he had surpassed the attractive power of his native 
 planet, dreadfully rapid and precipitous was his long 
 descent through the pathless wilderness of fogs and mists, 
 and congregated vapour, till with awful plunge in the 
 midst of the great Atlantic, he agitated its extensive 
 empire from shore to shore.
 
 262 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 This romantic catastrophe effectually dissolved the 
 spell, banished the enchanted landscape, and restored the 
 governing sceptre of suspended reason ; and returning 
 consciousness found the abstracted ecclesiastic physically 
 unskaithed and in full possession of all his intellectual 
 faculties. 
 
 Here the moping conventual, pent up in sequestered 
 solitude, however competent to conduct immortals to the 
 haven of interminable bliss, continued as ignorant of his 
 position as the totally blind wandering at random amid 
 the scorching sands of the East, cursed with eternal 
 sterility. But though thus secluded almost from the 
 cheering radiance of the sun, and bound as a felon in 
 the mystic fetters of enchantment, the untiring vessel, 
 yielding to the auspicious influence of the atmosphere, 
 progressed in dashing style over the restless billows of 
 the main. Mo mysterious incantation impeded her on- 
 ward velocity ; no spell wrapt the senses of the vigilant 
 mariners ; no flood of preternatural light rushed with 
 dazzling glare on their humid vision ; no burst of thunder 
 rent the superambient elements, and poured its deafening 
 roar on their listening ears ; and no terrific whirlwind 
 howled in the bending cordage or deranged the inflated 
 canvas. 
 
 All was delightfully propitious, and the stately bark, 
 with noble buoyancy, passed the confines of three king- 
 doms with incomparable despatch. As the spring of 
 the morning faintly appeared in the orient skies, and the 
 great effulgent luminary, still concealed beneath the 
 dusky horizon, sent forth his gorgeous harbingers arrayed 
 in silent grandeur, proclaiming to the night -wrapt world 
 that darkness, with its grisly terrors, was merging 
 its reign in the splendour of light behold ! a shout 
 resounded from stem to stern, announcing in natural 
 accents, that, over the starboard bow, the Isle of Man 
 was looming in the distance.
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 263 
 
 Various articles of oral intelligence having been 
 occasionally addressed to the auricular sense of the sea- 
 faring Levite respecting this ducal dominion, he was 
 seized with an irresistible curiosity to bring it within 
 the limits of his vision. lie had heard of its proximity 
 to three kingdoms, its total independence of either, the 
 peculiar privileges which it enjoyed, and its singular 
 exemption from the grievous exaction of national im- 
 posts. This marvellous combination of adventitious cir- 
 cumstances connected with any shred of this taxed and 
 teased and troubled theatre, so powerfully spirited on 
 his inquisitorial organs 'as to induce him not to violate 
 his vow of corporeal seclusion, but to request the removal 
 of the iron conservative from the skylight, that he might 
 pop out his coif-clad cranium to behold a sublunary 
 region so distinguished, so highly favoured. And, thus 
 constrained by the indomitable impulse of fancy, based 
 on the ever-varying wind of uncertified rumour, he 
 exhibited his sacred head, which, absorbed in contem- 
 plation, he continued veering from right to left on its 
 exquisite pivot, in suitable response to the devious move- 
 ments of the vessel, till the unexpected invasion of a 
 snow-ridged billow, permitted by unskilful steerage, 
 suddenly bathed his temples, darkened his vision, 
 stemmed the current of his reverie, and afforded him 
 tangible evidence, that, however proximate to a paradise 
 in fame, his was still in a world of uncertainty, sustain- 
 ing a mixed existence of shattered enjoyment, blighted 
 prospects, and disappointed hopes, that, whatever 
 internal felicity prevailed within the precincts of that 
 speck in creation which acknowledged the sway of no 
 regal sceptre, he was experimentally convinced by the 
 sight that its confines were but a wild, jarring jungle of 
 turbulent elements. 
 
 Under a deep impression of these solemn convictions,
 
 264 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 conveyed to his heart through the medium of his exter- 
 nal senses, he withdrew his reverend head from the air 
 and prospect of heaven, and relapsed into his solitude, 
 like a hard-hunted cony burroVing itself in its subter- 
 ranean fortress, leaving the world with all its fascinating 
 allurements and transient delights to men of more fluc- 
 tuating minds, inured by experience to a ceaseless round 
 of secular vicissitude ; whilst the floating fabric, with 
 unremitting speed, passed and distanced far the wonder- 
 exciting islet, pursuing her trackless course amid the 
 sluggish calms, perplexing currents, and opposing gusts 
 that incessantly wander amongst the rough romantic- 
 isles of Caledonia. 
 
 Tho' earth-born man wore an image divine, 
 
 However exalted the powers of his soul, 
 And destined in glory unfading to shine, 
 
 He still was subjected to sovereign control. 
 In obedience was bliss, in rebellion were pent 
 
 All the woes that e'er scowled in life's gloomiest shade : 
 Yet reckless of fealty, and spurning restraint, 
 
 At freedom he aimed, but to thraldom he sped. 
 
 Man's dependence on One, speaks submissive respect. 
 
 How low or exalted soever his sphere ; 
 A breach of command is a guilt-staining act, 
 
 And guilt's the infallible parent of fear : 
 From the era of bliss to the age that we view. 
 
 This truth in all ages is amply sustained, 
 Men tainted with crime, shaking leaves will pursue, 
 
 Which conscience converts into perils unfeigned. 
 
 Still the taper of heaven, tho' environed with mist. 
 
 Man strikes with conviction of guilt and offence 
 'Gainst the ALL who all framed by his mighty behest . 
 
 And who lit up the sun with a visual glance. 
 Arraigned and condemned, and o'erwhelmed with dread, 
 
 All groped in the darkness his ire to appease, 
 And man for man's trespass, 0, horror ! was led 
 
 To the altar, sacrifice in atonement to blaze.
 
 OF THK ISLAND OF MAY. 265 
 
 From the mount's heaving summit, and the grove's hallowed 
 
 Ascended the incense in fragrant perfume, [shades, 
 
 Whose clouds heaven's houndless expanse did pervade, 
 
 To cancel the guilt and its merited doom. 
 Thus, reason bewildered, 'mid dubious lights, 
 
 Prepared the sweet odours, and kindled the flame, 
 Attaching false colours to barbarous rites, 
 
 That nature, enlightened, would shudder to name. 
 
 Since the Day-star of Bcthl'em, with fulgence divine, 
 
 The types and dark shadows from Christendom chased, 
 Men, writhing in perils, oft favours benign 
 
 Derived, or conceived, from vows pledged to the blest ; 
 How num'rous the fanes and the convents devised, 
 
 'Mid the dangers horrific of tempest and flood, 
 By man, guilty man, when fell death, undisguised, 
 
 Appeared on each wave foaming ruthless and rude. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 EVERY species of animate existence, whether rational or 
 irrational, when subjected to a prolonged series of unre- 
 spited physical exertion, sustains a gradual prostration of 
 powers, a relaxation of energies, and imbecility of action ; 
 the uervous system becomes slackened and enfeebled in 
 all its springs of impulse, the marvellous combination of 
 muscles, fibres, and sinews that govern the vigour and 
 active motion of the corporeal association, by reason of 
 unremitted application, becomes powerless and inopera- 
 tive, and the whole animal machinery, subjugated under 
 the control of irresistible lassitude, descends into a lethean 
 depth of listlessness and suspended animation. To 
 obviate this inconvenient suspension of operations in the 
 commercial theatre, which must frequently ensue as an 
 infallible consequence, and to avert the flagrant abuse of 
 the noblest material edifice, as the necessary result of
 
 2()G HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 incessant application, the cunning ingenuity of man lias, 
 in all ages, been eminently successful in rendering the 
 elements of inanimate nature subservient to his interest 
 in furthering the business of life. Air, fire, and water, 
 elements fierce and uncontrollable in their native charac- 
 ter, terrific in the awful grandeur of their unrestrained 
 influence, and pregnant with appalling horror, devasta- 
 tion, and ruin, appear, as it were, tamed and disciplined 
 by the power of science into governable instruments, 
 incalculable in their utility in accomplishing grand and 
 important purposes in the world of commercial turmoil. 
 By their means the boundless tracts of earth and ocean 
 are traversed with facility and inconceivable despatch, 
 and the most remote and sequestered regions of the 
 accessible creation appear to have changed their position 
 on the terraqueous globe, and approached in close 
 proximity to each other ; while the glowing orbs, that 
 burn in glorious magnificence in the spacious firmament 
 of heaven, subserve as unerring guides to point the 
 dubious way of the scientific mariner as he floats on the 
 boundless waste of unvarying sameness. Thus feats and 
 enterprises of momentous import have been, through 
 vanished ages, achieved which the combined sinews of 
 a united world could never have accomplished, and one 
 generation of intelligent mortals would have followed 
 another and another into the rayless gulf of oblivion, 
 possessing but a meagre acquaintance with the sphere 
 which they are destined to occupy. Unaided by the 
 power of inanimate nature, the great globe itself would 
 have effected its final revolution, the sable clouds of 
 doomsday obscured the flaming visage of the sun, and 
 the waters of unfathomable ocean been absorbed in the 
 fiery consummation, ere man, with all his boasted 
 superiority, could have ascertained the boundaries of his 
 lordship.
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 2G7 
 
 It was the dark, the gloomy, the tempestuous month 
 t>f December, with its transient, its precarious glimpse of 
 sunshine, sullied by the ceaseless alternations of scowling, 
 storm-fraught clouds. The gallant ship with her precious 
 inmate, the Papal ambassador, had now parted connection 
 with the northern isles, and freed from the perils of the 
 tortuous navigation, was rearing, lurching, and plunging 
 at large on the turbulent bosom of the North Sea. The 
 great source of all luminous existence, burning in his 
 loftiest altitude, was spending his powerless influence OH 
 the inaccessible mountains of eternal snow and boundless 
 regions of Antarctic ice, without a vestige of moon in the 
 northern hemisphere to lighten the tenebrious gloom of 
 nights protracted and cheerless. Such was now the 
 surrounding prospect, such the dreary, the bleak, the 
 uninviting aspect of nature on which the tempest-tossed 
 mariners were destined to look ; and the pilot, withal, 
 lacking the tuition of experience, was involved in a haze 
 of dubiety as to the true course and situation of his ter- 
 minus. The glorious sovereign of day, which, at this 
 period, merely sweeps a limited segment of the dusky 
 horizon, had just terminated his transient career and 
 vanished in a tangly labyrinth of portentous display of 
 freakish vapour. The star of eve, perched in the altitudes 
 of space, displayed its sullied aspect glimmering faintly 
 through the humid atmosphere, and night, in all its 
 rayless majesty, commenced its early reign of tedious, 
 heartless duration ; the swollen billows of the ocean, 
 rolling in rapid succession from an ominous point of the 
 compass, premonished the watchful mariners to banish 
 slumber from their eyelids, and observe with vigilant 
 care the motion of the elements ; and such, like a faithful 
 dog that speeds to herald the approach of its master, ere 
 long afforded ample evidence that they were no deceptive 
 harbingers of disquietude. Every trace of expiring day
 
 268 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 being absorbed in the dingy curtains of night, every star 
 apparently expunged from the volume of creation, and 
 the cloud-wrapt canopy having reached the climax of 
 descending gloom, the premonitions of vengeance, the 
 prognostics of peril, the presages of destruction, all on a 
 sudden merged their dubious uncertainties in a fearful 
 deluge of tangible realities. The raving tempest, sweep- 
 ing the pitchy sky, howled in the binding cordage ; the 
 inflated canvas, stretched beyond the power of endurance, 
 rent in sunder like a flimsy cobweb ; while the labouring 
 vessel, creaking and groaning in every department, 
 yielded reclining obedience to the insupportable pressure. 
 The frenzied impetuosity of the foaming elements beneath, 
 combined with the ruthless, invisible fury, that of the 
 fierce distempered influence that raged and rushed in the 
 regions above, involved the. trembling mariners in a 
 frightful chaos of ravelled conflict and wild disorder ; 
 whilst the vivid streams of electric fire, flashing with 
 intermittent blaze through the deep ethereal gloom, 
 diffused a dreadful radiance over the appalling waste of 
 death-menacing tumult. The pious recluse, immured in 
 a dungeon of soul-subduing terror, relinquished every ray 
 of hope in reference to time, and raised his quaking 
 aspirations to the unknown realms of immutable duration. 
 As imminent danger rarely fails to excite the heart- 
 chilling passion of fear, and fear invariably deepens 
 religious impressions and heightens devotional feeling, 
 the ivory crucifix, his inseparable companion, was held 
 more straitly embraced that at any previous period 
 of his existence, while strains of fervent piety pervaded 
 every avenue of his soul, and quivered, with thrilling 
 ardour, on every cord of his distracted cogitations. In 
 this dreadful theatre of fierce elemental conflict, he dis- 
 covers beauties and ravishing pathos in the graphic 
 volume of inspiration which never before attracted the
 
 OF TIIK ISLAND OK MAY. 
 
 admiration of his soul, and only lay huddled and 
 jumbled together in the recess of memory as convenient 
 lumber, which he could apply with effect in rounding a 
 forcible period and promoting the flight of an oratorial 
 climax. Tossed amid the wild tempestuous uproar, the 
 whole current of his ingenuity and vigour of nervous 
 energies were confined within the narrow sphere of 
 selfishness, being barely competent to maintain his posi- 
 tion, while the strains of the ancient minstrel appeared 
 to his mind in all their poetic grandeur and descriptive 
 elegance. " They mount up unto the heavens, they go 
 down again unto the deep, their soul is melted within 
 them ; they reel and stagger like drunken men, and are 
 at their wit's-end." And pressing the crucifix to his 
 throbbing bosom with pious ardour, his depressed spirit 
 derives a quickening influence from these exalted senti- 
 ments : " He rideth on the whirlwind." " He gathereth 
 the wind in his fists." " He bindeth the waters in a 
 garment, and the clouds are the dust of his feet." " A 
 man shall be a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert 
 from the tempest." Though no fortuitous casualty hung 
 on his fleeting thoughts, not even a flimsy vapour or 
 flitting meteor existed amid the perturbation of his intel- 
 lectual empire on which the smallest hope of deliverance 
 could be founded ; still the magni6cent glories of Italian 
 scenery, the attractive splendours of Imperial Rome, the 
 alternations of light and shade, of joy and sorrow, in a 
 world of vicissitude, competing with the immutable Ely- 
 sium of rapturous enjoyments which faith exhibited to 
 his view, accoutred death with a sting, overshadowed the 
 grave with a gloom which his boldest resolve was unable 
 to abolish. And therefore on the very threshold of death, 
 the very vestibule of the grave, the suspended moment 
 of his mysterious transit, he, gazing on the crucifix, pro- 
 pounds a stipulation with Omnipotence for the safety of
 
 270 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 his body, rather than the bliss of futurity for his soul. 
 Behold the trembling apostle, convulsed with agonising 
 terror, and pale with the horrors of despondency, thus 
 addressing the senseless, powerless image, the motionless 
 device of the soaring fancy : " 0, thou blessed Emanuel, 
 , whose advent was celebrated by the ravishing symphony 
 of angelic choirs, whose word framed the universe, whose 
 hand governs the spheres, whose breath excites the ruth- 
 less tempest or tranquillises the infuriated elements, do 
 thou exert thy divine power in behalf of thy trembling, 
 thy avowed disciple, thy implicit dependant, and com- 
 mand deliverance from this dismal prospect, this tumul- 
 tuous peril, this appalling shadow of death. Thou whose 
 sovereign volition dissolved the shackles of death and 
 reclaimed the vanquished captives from the tyrant's thrall, 
 whose potent rebuke dislodged a confederate legion of 
 demons, and dispersed the infernal encampment, what 
 were it for thee to sneak these raging elements into placid 
 serenity, to rescue my perilled life from the devouring 
 abyss, that the gaping savages of the dark unfathomed 
 deep gorge not their rapacious appetite with thy last, 
 thy noblest, thy most favoured work ? Thou hast only 
 to will, and that is accomplished which the utmost exer- 
 tion of entire human energy could never effect, nor the 
 machination of hell's malignant powers revoke or frus- 
 trate. And, if consistent with the infinite wisdom of 
 thine inscrutable purposes, in tender regard, will my 
 escape from this sickening scene of environing horror, 
 and establish my trembling frame on the tame quiescent 
 earth. Should thy merey cast my lot in a region of 
 hope, some obscure haunt of dying mortals, as sure as 
 thou art immutable in thine underived existence, there 
 will I erect a dwelling-place for thine eternal majesty, 
 a temple to the glory and honour of thy imperishable 
 name."
 
 OF THE ISIAND OF MAY. 271 
 
 At this instant a gleam of vivid light flashed with 
 awful splendour through the breathing aperture of his 
 sombre retirement, illuminating the horror of darkness 
 by which he was encompassed and immured as in the 
 dismal curtains of the tomb. A sudden thrill of amaze- 
 ment transfused itself through every channel and avenue 
 of life ; whilst an overwhelming gust of mingled dread 
 and perplexing hope hurled the entire man into a deep 
 vale of unconscious suspense, where in the trammels of 
 living death, he slumbered for a season, insensible to the 
 howling terrors that raged and foamed with direful fury 
 above, around, and beneath him. In this dormant con- 
 dition lay the Roman ambassador, till the veiled influ- 
 ence of the sun, emerging from the distant main, intro- 
 duced a glimmering particle of time before unknown in 
 the calendar of light. This was neither day nor night, 
 but a sort of gloomy twilight that diffused itself through 
 a convulsed atmosphere, sullied with impervious vapour, 
 and bedimmed with drifting sleet a mere nominal day 
 that oozed through the screen which envelopes the future, 
 and descended into the misty region of the vanished past, 
 before its existence in the present could be either recog- 
 nised or appreciated. In this boisterous scene of unal- 
 leviated dismay, the tempest-beaten mariners continued 
 for several sunless days and starless nights struggling 
 with the furious powers of the air and ocean, bewildered 
 in their reckoning and clouded with the haze of despair, 
 till a faint display of oriental streaks tinging the dusky 
 horizon, heralded the anniversary of that momentous 
 day whose glorious transpiration merged all the mighty 
 mystified marvels of the universe into one stupendous 
 theme of sublime mystery, beyond the ken of all created 
 intelligence, and whose solution will occupy the fathom- 
 less ages of eternity. The tempest having now exhausted 
 its frenzied fury, and expended its ethereal magazine,
 
 272 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 by means of the glimmering Aurora, a clingy speck was 
 discovered in the distance peering faintly through the 
 hazy curtain of the morning. But what this object was, 
 and where the place of its situation, were problems 
 which no soul on board was competent to solve. The 
 animated discussion which this ravelled perplexity pro- 
 duced on deck, and the diversity of opinion by which it 
 was characterised, attracted the attention of the vener- 
 able conventual reposing in the close seclusion of his 
 dormitory. And being unable to resist their combined 
 influence on his desponding soul, he exerted all the vigour 
 of his lungs, and hailed with stentorian accents and im- 
 petuous feelings, as a boatswain pipes all hands on the 
 bursting of a terrific squall. And why ? simply because 
 the Babel of tongues, the exhilarating sound of land 
 first greeted his ears when aroused from a terrifying 
 'jungle of distorted visions and ghastly images. 
 
 Land indeed it was its proximity to the vessel dis- 
 pelled every shadow of doubt as to its solid reality but 
 although the discovery of the mariners was sufficiently 
 manifest, and the destination at which they aimed devoid 
 of every dubiety, their real position on the surface of the 
 globe was even beyond the wide limits of conjecture. 
 So confused were their ideas rendered by the devious 
 drifting of the vessel, that they resembled an unguided 
 traveller, lighting on a sweet refreshing oasis in the 
 midst of a trackless desert, doomed to eternal sterility, 
 unwilling to leave the circumscribed patch of soul-reviv- 
 ing verdure, he rolls his scorched organs of vision over 
 the interminable waste, uncertain of the course by which 
 he might attain the goal of his pursuit. The shipmen, 
 however, acting on the allowed principle that the spirit 
 of inquiry is the acknowledged progenitor of intelligence, 
 resolved on a friendly invasion of the unknown territory 
 for the express purpose of eliciting information, from the
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 273 
 
 apparently rational occupants, in what region of the 
 ponderous globe they were actually located. This dernier 
 resolve was most cordially responded to by the Pope's 
 package of divinity, the ambassador of the Church him- 
 self being eagerly anxious to place his pedestals once 
 more on the stable element, the land of living men, 
 when a grateful glow of pleasing wonder, of joyous satis- 
 faction, of rapt amazement thrilled in every bosom, on 
 the fortuitous discovery that after a dismal ordeal of toils, 
 perils, and privations, the blessed shade of St Peter had 
 conducted them in safety to the Key of the Forth. Here 
 the monk, recollecting the pledge which he tendered in 
 the agonies of despair, promptly selected a site for the 
 performance of his vow, and forthwith proceeded with 
 the vessel to her destination. And the next meridian 
 sun revealed him emerging from his dormant state of 
 existence, like a gorgeous butterfly bursting from the 
 torpid chrysalis, arrayed in splendid canonicals, and 
 advancing in all his sacerdotal glory towards the seat of 
 Royalty in the Scottish capital ; where, having pro- 
 nounced over the King the precious benediction of His 
 Holiness, and presented his commission, bearing the 
 stamp of the Papal crown, he sallied forth on his sacred 
 church-visiting embassy. 
 
 At this remote age of the world, the Island of May, 
 this identical Key of the Forth, was more extensively 
 peopled, according to our gleanings on that subject, than 
 at any prior or subsequent period of its history. The 
 inhabitants being utterly destitute of the civilising and 
 enlightening means of either moral or spiritual instruc- 
 tion, debasing ignorance, with all its grisly retinue of 
 horrid and revolting concomitants, swayed a sceptre of 
 absolute dominion over their benighted minds ; and every 
 successive generation of those rational and accountable 
 beings only sprang into existence more refined in bar-
 
 274 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 barism, more expert in delinquency, and more hardened 
 in remorseless criminality. Separated from the crowd- 
 ing bustle of the world, and the diversified shades of 
 character which it incessantly exhibits ; precluded by 
 their insulated habitation from all intercourse with 
 enlightened society, and placed as it were beyond the 
 pale of all government, civil or ecclesiastical, they 
 admitted no restraint save the waters by which they 
 were environed, and acknowledged no sovereign control 
 beyond the dictates of their own untutored will. Indeed 
 so inefficient was the law at this period for the suppres- 
 sion of delinquency in any quarter of Scotland, and so 
 partial and dilatory in its execution, that the spoliation 
 of the less powerful by the cupidity of influential might 
 was invariably winked at as a trifle unworthy of notice. 
 And if such scenes of rapine, plunder, and usurpation 
 were enacted with impunity in the very cradle of legis- 
 lation, in the bosom of judicial authority, and full in the 
 flaming face of the many-eyed sun, what could possibly 
 be expected in a solitary region of uncultivated human- 
 ity, remote from every shadow of civil control ? The 
 islanders were, all affined to each other, either by the 
 sinews of consanguinity or the silken fibres of hymeneal 
 attachment, and consequently leagued in confidential 
 confederacy, which invariably manifested itself in their 
 traffic with strangers. And as the proceeds of every 
 fortuitous windfall were uniformly distributed through- 
 out the encampment with punctual equality, no insidious 
 feeling of envy, swelling in the bosom, induced the 
 disruption of friendship or incited to civil commotion. 
 Previous to the nocturnal illumination of the island, it 
 was the hapless scene of numerous shipwrecks, the 
 deplorable cause of many a melancholy sacrifice of life 
 and property, from which appalling casualties the inha- 
 bitants derived their principal subsistence. Hence the
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 275 
 
 hoarse roaring of the boisterous surf, the dreadful crash- 
 ing of the ill-fated vessels, and the heartrending shrieks 
 of the drowning mariners, fell with similar effect on their 
 listening ears as the din of war, the clashing of armour, 
 the thunder of battle, and the groans of the wounded on 
 those of starving, hunger-bitten wolves. And however 
 horrid the idea, however shocking to the more refined 
 sympathies of the present age, however foul the stigma 
 entailed on the human character, frequently have the 
 shipwrecked unfortunates who escaped the yawning 
 perils of the ocean been unsparingly murdered by the 
 ruthless act of these relentless spoilers a practice 
 which, in more recent ages, prevailed to a fearful extent 
 in many parts of civilised Europe, amongst certain tribes 
 of accountable beings possessed of no feelings save those 
 which agonised the corporeal senses, and governed by no 
 principle more illustrious than the sordid gratification of 
 their lawless propensities. And the sole design of this 
 barbarous alternative was, not to prevent any foreign 
 invasion of their sea-girt territory, but to remove all 
 probable cause of molestation in the exercise of their 
 appropriating tactics, and that the glorious windfall 
 might not be frustrated by any interested survivor 
 reclaiming the spoils which they had captured. But 
 whatever degree of callous insensibility men inured to 
 crime may often exhibit, and however invulnerable to 
 the miseries of hapless, suffering humanity, every mind, 
 however hardened in vice, is not composed of materials 
 sufficiently robust to sustain through life the pressure of 
 innocent blood. And though inviolable secrecy charac- 
 terised the denizens of the May island in all their unami- 
 able procedure, a circumstance once occurred that led to 
 the conviction and ignominious death of two of their 
 plundering confederates. 
 
 A galiot, from the Netherlands, bound to the port of
 
 276 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 St Andrews, having encountered a dismal series of 
 tempestuous weather, the crew became immured in a 
 dungeon of gloomy apprehension, and entangled in a 
 mazy labyrinth of warping perplexities. During seven 
 revolutions of the great globe were they subjected to 
 heartless days of unvarying tempest, and cheerless nights 
 of darkness and horror amid the heaving billows of the 
 foaming ocean, shivering beneath the frowning scowl of 
 inclement heaven. At midnight the sea-beat mariners, 
 exhausted with toil, benumbed with cold, and all dispirited 
 by fruitless exertion, discovered amid the snowy surf a 
 dark incomprehensible mass, towards which they were 
 rapidly impelled by the impetuous fury of the elements. 
 The vessel, logged and unmanageable, resisted the 
 governing influence of the rudder, and was driven at 
 random by the pressure of the tempest, so that every 
 hope of avoiding a dreadful collision, and every prospect 
 of averting the fatal result, was totally effaced from the 
 poor hapless souls in trembling suspense. The awful 
 moment of death and devastation revolved apace ; the 
 shattered bark, wallowing in a surge insuperable, beating 
 with violence against the crags of adamant, reeled and 
 clashed and smothered in the direful uproar of elements. 
 A simultaneous shriek from the dinsome theatre of death 
 resounded with blood-chilling vibrations over the tur- 
 bulent waste, and rang in shivering echoes through the 
 wide tenebrious concave. The piercing accents of misery, 
 ever ungracious in the ears of sympathetic humanity, 
 reached the dormant senses of the brazen-hearted islanders 
 as, huddled in filth and wretchedness, they slumbered in 
 sluggish repose, lulled to rest by the howling of the 
 tempest, and the wild imagination rambling among shat- 
 tered wrecks, craggy cliffs, floating goods, and perishing 
 mortals. But as no specific sound can possibly produce 
 on every ear an indiscriminate uniformity of effect, the
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 277 
 
 heart-rending shrieks of distress were to them as the 
 shouting of the vintage, or the joyous strains of the 
 harvest-home, and while the radiant visage of the sun 
 was yet concealed in the boisterous bosom of the distant 
 main while the sable curtains of night were hardly 
 tinged with the grey glimmering twilight the humid 
 star of the morning scarce peering through the dusky 
 cloud beheld those rustic wreckers, those vigilant 
 watchers at the portals of destruction, speeding with 
 elastic step and hearts inflated with expectation towards 
 the melancholy scene of horror and desolation. But one 
 being, more distinguished than his fellows for the agility 
 of his limbs and superior elasticity of his locomotive 
 springs, arrived first at the ghastly goal ; and perceiving 
 one of the hapless unfortunates clinging with the iron 
 grasp of expiring nature to a rugged cliff, and with his 
 eyes only imploring the arm of relief, he surveyed the 
 wretched sufferer with a grin of disappointment, and, 
 advancing with fiendish resolve, launched him from his 
 hard-earned position into the boiling flood beneath, to 
 minole with his comrades in the darkness of death. It 
 
 (Ti 
 
 has frequently been observed that twin -brothers, or sisters, 
 exhibit a striking similarity both in their external appear- 
 ance and internal qualities, whether attractive or repul- 
 sive, whether virtuous or vicious. And in the present 
 instance the fact appears manifestly exemplified. A twin- 
 brother of the callous image of humanity above men- 
 tioned, following rapidly in his wake, descried a raw- 
 boned stripling, alternately visible and buried in the surf, 
 struggling to deliver himself from the ruthless dominion 
 of the waves by means of some buoyant material to 
 which he was attached ; and just when his desperate 
 efforts were about to be crowned with success, and while 
 his bosom was heaving with the joyous prospect of gain- 
 ing a safe footing on a solid portion of the globe, he 
 2 A
 
 278 HISTOHICAL SKETCHES 
 
 received from the heartless demon a final salutation, such 
 as a youthful shepherd with his sling once greeted the 
 supercilious giant of Gath, which extinguished the 
 flickering taper of life ; and the receding waters disclosed 
 the bleeding remains of active intrepidity blended with 
 the wrecks of the vessel and the spoils of the tempest. 
 Having now effectually precluded the possibility of any 
 human interference, they reaped an ample haryest, un- 
 molested by any opposing element, and unrestrained by 
 any legal charge of trespass. But though their cup of 
 prosperity was large and capacious, and full to overflow- 
 ing, the hideous attendant of vice had mingled a bitter 
 ingredient in the draught. Seized by the gnawing com- 
 punctions of conscience, and griped by the smart twinges 
 of remorse, every hour of solitude was an hour of misery 
 unmingled. The wild imagination incessantly reflecting 
 the image of their murdered victims on their disordered 
 vision, ghastly apparitions, grinning with horrid grimace, 
 dogged and haunted the delinquents in every department 
 of social intercourse, converting the island into the ante-- 
 chamber of Pandemonium, and their very existence into 
 a mundane hell. In the dark season of midnight slumber, 
 when all nature courts the renovating balm of repose, 
 the waking fancy, sporting with relentless cruelty, tor- 
 tured them with appalling visions. Every morning 
 twilight oped the portals of a theatre crowded with 
 horrid spectacles of staring vengeance through their eye- 
 lids ; and every falling eve descended with a dismal 
 gloom of accumulating horrors. The azure expanse 
 stretched over their guilty blood-stained heads, and, 
 glowing in all its diversified magnificence, seemed wholly 
 despoiled of beauty and destitute of charms as the frown- 
 ing vault of a dreary sepulchre. The world beneath, 
 with all its infinite variety of sensual delights, was 
 transformed into a howling jungle of repulsive sights, an
 
 OF THK ISLAND OF MAY. 279 
 
 orchestra of discordant sounds, a waste of grisly terrors -. 
 the boundless universe, by the sleight of vice, literally 
 converted into a dismal region of sepulchral gloom, 
 crowded with grinning spectres and ghastly apparitions. 
 No marvel, then, that life was an unvaried course of in- 
 superable endurance, for who could sustain an existence 
 so dreadful ? So tumultuous became the stirrings of 
 conscience, such the direful pressure on the internal 
 machinery, that naught but full development of th 
 crime seemed capable of assuaging the fury of the tem- 
 pest this the only safety-valve by which a 'dread 
 explosion of nature's magazine could possibly be averted ; 
 an explosion which, like the rending power of an earth- 
 quake or bursting volcano, would have shivered the 
 exquisite framework of the human structure into a thou- 
 sand fragments, and scattered the lovely constituents of 
 man, physical and intellectual, in the winds of heaven. 
 The silvery moon had six times filled her horn since the 
 ill-fated Dutch vessel launched forth on her disastrous 
 voyage, and no glimpse of intelligence having tran- 
 spired from the place of destination, the mysterious 
 silence, surcharged with ominous conjecture, extended 
 their dark foreboding shadows over the port of her 
 departure. In the course of events, another vessel 
 from the same quarter, and destined for the port of 
 Leith, passing in close proximity to the island, came in 
 contact with a piece of floating wreck bearing the name 
 of the identical galiot, in legible characters. This cir- 
 cumstance excited intense interest in the crew respect- 
 ing the hapless fate of their countrymen. And having 
 reported the matter immediately on their arrival, officials 
 were forthwith despatched to the island on a mission of 
 inquiry. Here a scene presented itself to their astounded 
 vision, that, sudden as the bolt from the lowering cloud, 
 flashed fell consternation through every avenue of the
 
 280 nrsTORiCAL SKETCHES 
 
 soul. The- first that greeted their advent was one of the 
 raving, self-accused delinquents, with prominent eye- 
 balls staring and rolling in wild disorder ; his grinning 
 lips, and faltering tongue, with impetuous precipitance, 
 while yet the seeds of inquiry immatured, lay fostering 
 in the mines of thought, disclosed appalling facts pol- 
 luted with blood, conceived in hell, matured by fiendish 
 malignity, and clothed in horror. " Luck," says he, 
 while every joint with quaking agitation was ready to 
 start from its socket, " Luck to the black tufty head o' 
 'im peerin' aboon the water ! Luck how the life-blood 
 gushes out o' that hole atwixt his twa glowrin' een, just 
 whaur I ettled the round whin bullet at the very time 
 he was glammin' for a haud o' the crag ! Luck, he's 
 comin', an' the ghaists o' the hale crew flockin' round 'im, 
 an' a' the gruesome clanjamfrey frae the boddoni o' the 
 sea gapin' to devour me at ane gabble." Thus raved 
 the felon, thus he vented the horrific disquietude that 
 raged in his bosom, foully crimsoned with blood, while 
 he cowered and sneaked with appalling terror behind 
 the legal authorities, to elude the grasp of the avenging 
 apparitions. 
 
 At this instant of awful astonishment comes his twin- 
 brother, measuring the distance with ghost-hunted stride, 
 as if all the fiends of the infernal regions were hurling at 
 his heels. He, too, had his soul-harrowing tale of mur- 
 derous inhumanity to unfold, of hapless shipwrecked 
 victims slaughtered by his hands after having escaped 
 the dangers of the foaming flood. His pale, emaciated 
 visage, disfigured with ghastly contortions, effected 
 incessant transitions from one shoulder to the other with 
 flashing rapidity, as if watching the hostile attacks of 
 surrounding furies ; whilst the frightful agitation that 
 reigned with absolute dominion over the entire corporeal 
 system, bewrayed the extreme perturbation of his dis-
 
 OV THE ISLAND OF MAY. 281 
 
 quieted soul. The condition of the infatuated king of 
 Babylon,' when he perceived the hand mysterious writing 
 his doom in the hall of profanity, could not represent 
 human nature in a plight more deplorable. The precog- 
 nition of the other inhabitants of the island elicited such 
 a tissue of prevarication and discordant versions of the 
 melancholy fact as was amply sufficient to establish the 
 plundering confederacy that there existed, and to confirm 
 the truth of the self-convicting declaration of the guilty 
 images of personified misery and wretchedness. Having 
 passed through the usual formalities of criminal juris- 
 prudence, they were both executed somewhere about the 
 South Ness, contiguous to the scene of their inhuman 
 barbarity, according to the faint time-worn page of 
 tradition. 
 
 Although this barbarous policy, only consonant to the 
 feelings and principles of an apostate spirit, was practised 
 for centuries subsequent to this period, the oral conser- 
 vatory connected with this island appears to retain no 
 oilier capital conviction. A black cloud of suspicion has 
 often hovered over this sea-girt dominion, and the civic 
 authorities of Crail have been repeatedly transported 
 thither for the purpose of investigating suspicious circum- 
 stances in connection with disastrous and fatal ship- 
 wrecks; but the coalition of sentiments was so ingeniously 
 conducted as to frustrate effectually the ends of justice 
 by guarding every avenue leading to the goal of 
 crimination. The more recent instance of suspected 
 murder, whose traditional history holds a prominent 
 status in the chamber of recollection, occurred about the 
 beginning of the eighteenth century. A sloop from 
 Methal, laden with salt for the north of Scotland, became 
 involved in a tempest, and enveloped in stupifying haze, 
 which has ever been the productive cause of disaster on 
 this island. The fleecy influences of the sun had vanished 
 2 A 2
 
 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 from the western skies, the silver moon was scattering 
 her pallid beams over the ceaseless verdure of another 
 hemisphere, the twinkling stars, that nightly cheer the 
 wide ethereal expanse, shed forth no sparkling lustre, and 
 the artificial flame that, in the midway air, blazed on the 
 lofty beacon, and flashed and flickered in the tempest, 
 shed no transfixing ray through the foggy mantle of 
 obscurity by which it was environed ; and thus the 
 benighted mariners, abandoned to the absolute reign of 
 unchequered darkness, continued groping their random 
 way amid the yawning perils of the deep, till a dread 
 collision with the island consigned the entire crew to the 
 gloom of oblivion. Although this fatal catastrophe 
 appeared enveloped in a veil of mystery impervious, some 
 invidious spirit, riding on the rapid wings of the tempest, 
 conveyed an insinuous whisper, blended with the roar of 
 the ocean, that the captain of the vessel had escaped the 
 perils of the deep only to fall beneath the murderous 
 stroke of the ruthless islanders. This startling insinua- 
 tion soon obtained extensive circulation over the East 
 Coast of Fife, and the magistrates of Crail, with other 
 legal authorities, were forthwith transported to that 
 isolated speck of the universe, where a court of judicial 
 inquiry was constituted in order to expiscate the facts 
 connected with the alleged barbarity ; but, although 
 certain revolting symptoms afforded ample evidence that 
 the horrid crime had been actually perpetrated, so 
 studiously cautious were the accused, so sullen and 
 reserved were their communications on the subject, that 
 nothing could be elicited on which to found a criminal 
 indictment against any of them, and the investigation 
 consequently terminated in a volume of vapour. 
 
 The sacred ambassador having now accomplished his 
 tour amongst the heathy mountains, bending forests, 
 straths and streams of Scotland, and having completed
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 283 
 
 his apostolic survey of the hallowed fanes and convents 
 that cast their shadows over her blood-stained soil ; 
 having received the royal sanction, he revisits the Island 
 of May that key of hope to bewildered mariners, tossed 
 and buffeted amid the perils of the deep that last object 
 in the theatre of time, which scores of perishing mortals 
 are destined to behold with the orbs of material vision, 
 and by whose gladdening aspect himself had been loosed 
 from the gloomy dungeon of despair. Here, solely 
 influenced by a due respect to the pious obligation, the 
 soul-binding vow propounded in the season of extremity, 
 he planned and founded a convent, which, under the 
 surveillance of the Church, was ultimately brought to 
 completion. This memorial of the monk's providential 
 preservation, amid the uproarious conflict of infuriated 
 elements to which he was exposed in the course of his 
 voyage, never presented any conspicuous features of 
 attraction, either with respect to magnitude or gorgeous 
 architectural splendour. It originally was, what it still 
 continues to exhibit, a pile of durable masonic work- 
 manship, contracted in dimensions, plain, humble, and 
 destitute of all ostentatious decorations. Its unroofed 
 walls, crumbling into dust beneath the corroding influ- 
 ence of time, still mark its existence, and preserve its 
 place amongst the antiquities of Scotland. From con- 
 current circumstances, it appears highly probable that 
 this ancient monastic edifice was originally dedicated to 
 St Adrian, though served by the monks of St Augustine, 
 and governed by the Prior of Pittenweem. Its primeval 
 existence seerns to have been coeval with that antiquated 
 edifice on the north coast, constructed under the auspices 
 of the same reigning sovereign, designed for similar 
 purposes, and consecrated by St Monan. These remarks 
 exhibit the origin and history of the convent on the 
 Island of May, whose rugged remains still attract the
 
 284 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 attention of the antiquary ; remarks culled from the 
 faint glimmerings of tradition, almost extinguished by 
 the thick haze of oblivion that time has gathered round it. 
 
 Since this varying world on its axis first whirled, 
 
 And man did in primitive glory appear, 
 What a deluge of change has defaced the wide range 
 
 Of this mighty, this ponderous sphere ! 
 On its surface unveiled, yon bright world has beheld 
 
 Its diversified garniture, living and dead, 
 Disfigured in. face, both in fashion and grace, 
 
 And all in the shades of oblivion laid. 
 
 And things still remain on the mount and the plain 
 
 Which ages long lost did in splendour uprear ; 
 Though naught tells on earth their distinction of birth, 
 
 Yet contemplative minds still behold and revere. 
 For man, though his fair intellectual star 
 
 Be sullied with clouds and with shadows o'ercast, 
 Yet illumed by the shine of its radiance divine, 
 
 He surveys both the future, the present, and past. 
 
 How the fancy reels back when we gaze with respect 
 
 On the piles monumental, deep furrowed with age, 
 That cent'ries agone in magnificence shone, 
 
 And figured in glory on Time's fleeting stage ! 
 How the powers of the mind, in a phalanx combined, 
 
 Round the mouldering wrecks of antiquity cling : 
 How reflection ransacks the oblivious tracts, 
 
 And scenes from the darkness of chaos upbring ! 
 
 There's a magical spell (whate'er be their tale) 
 
 In the towers, and the fanes, and the castles of yore. 
 That trammels the soul in a hallowed control, 
 
 Inspiring the pensive with mystical lore. 
 Resistless it steals o'er the heart, while it feels 
 
 Emotions new kindled ; and lost in the theme, 
 Man muses sublime 'mid the ruins of time, 
 
 That silently whisper, "Life's all but a dream."
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 285 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 IN tracing the history of empires the most magnificent, 
 the most mighty and populous that ever adorned the 
 surface of the world, we can only ascend to a certain 
 epoch as the goal and limit of our inquisitorial research. 
 Here, arrested in our progress, restrained in our career, 
 and suppressed in our retrospective pursuit, we stand as 
 on the utmost verge of creation, absorbed in contempla- 
 tion, locked in amazement, and warpt in the toils of 
 inquiring wonder. And as the intrepid voyager, inter- 
 cepted in his course by an impassable barrier of polar 
 ice, reflects with disquietude on his abortive project and 
 frustration of purpose ; so influenced by an irresistible 
 desire to penetrate still farther into the barbarous ages 
 of cloud-wrapt antiquity, we thrust our visual orbs into 
 the thick mist of vanished generations, but the rays of 
 vision, obstructed by the impervious darkness, recoil 
 from the fruitless effort. And if the history of nations 
 burning in glory and dazzling the world with their 
 splendours be thus environed with a haze of dubious 
 uncertainty, accumulated by the mass of revolved ages, 
 what can be expected of any isolated portion of the 
 universe which the trumpet of fame has never celebrated, 
 and whose existence, remote and unassuming, has never 
 emerged beyond the dusky horizon of sombre obscurity ? 
 In reference to the former, it is clearly observable, that 
 the most antiquated period of authentic history is united 
 to an almost interminable stream of mysterious oriental 
 tradition, extending beyond the dark confines of the 
 antediluvian world, and still unfold in the loftiest strains 
 of national prepossession a tale embellished with the 
 greatness, the grandeur, and glory of antiquity, which 
 the rushing waters of the universal deluge have not been
 
 2S6 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 able to obliterate; bu-t the latter having no celebrity in 
 the world where they exist, and destitute of those 
 peculiar features of attraction that invariably shed a 
 halo of imperishable glory around the distinguished 
 possessors, the history of their ancient existence soon 
 vanishes in the rayless gulf of elapsed centuries. Even 
 the genius of tradition, uncharmed by the glittering foil 
 of renown, cuts short his meagre tale, winds up his 
 stinted narrative, and abandons the whole to the sullen 
 silence of the tomb and the unchequered darkness of 
 chaos. Thus numerous insulated features, in the broad 
 face of creation, however important in modern ages, and 
 whatever distinguishing status they occupy in the com- 
 mercial world, they possess not even a nominal being in 
 the buried ages of antiquity ; and they are as little heard 
 of beyond a limited period in retrospect, as if they were 
 adjuncts of the world supplied by the author in a second 
 edition of the universe. This historical obscurity appears 
 strikingly exemplified in respect to the Island of May, 
 the subject of our present consideration. Authentic his- 
 tory barely peeps through the dark postern of antiquity, 
 and errant tradition, with it!s ever-varying narrative, 
 becomes totally exhausted, and finally expires amid the 
 dusky clouds of a few revolved centuries that mystify 
 the wide horizon of evanished time ; and all is abandoned 
 to the wild quixotic flights of romantic fancy, or the 
 hap-hazard sallies of conjecture partially warranted by 
 dubious appearances in connection therewith. It is 
 recorded in a preceding chapter of this work, that the 
 waters of the Forth are visibly invading the solid por- 
 tion of the globe in their immediate vicinity, and gra- 
 dually extending their boundaries on either side. It 
 appears distinctly evident, however, that at some very 
 remote period of the world's history, the sphere of their 
 boisterous operations has been much more extensive than
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 287 
 
 that within which they seem at present apparently cir- 
 cumscribed ; and future centuries will yet revolve and 
 vanish amid the ruins of elapsed time ere the abandoned 
 territory, at the present advancing ratio, be fully recap- 
 tured and ceded to the empire of Neptune. Although 
 these facts be clearly established by observation and 
 experience, how this peculiar tendency to advance and 
 recede is actually produced on the fluctuating element, 
 and how this alternate action and reaction are periodi- 
 cally promoted and maintained, constitute a problem too 
 deep, too complex, too mysterious for solution on any 
 acknowledged principles of science ; therefore, however 
 familiarly acquainted every attentive observer may be 
 with visible effects and consequences, they can only be 
 associated with other marvellous appearances in nature 
 for which no ostensible cause has yet been assigned. 
 
 In the bosom of this extensive branch of the German 
 Ocean, this important commercial thoroughfare, this vital 
 source of inexhaustible treasure, several other islets of 
 no inconsiderable note uplift their romantic heads, diver- 
 sifying the undulating scene, and affording a beautiful 
 relief to the lengthened sameness of the watery prospect. 
 These, like stepping-stones in a gentle streamlet, are not 
 wholly destitute of utility, but in their respective situa- 
 tions are of important service to the sons of enterprise 
 that traverse the' boundless wastes of the trackless ocean, 
 conducting them, step by step, through the perilous 
 avenue bounded on all sides with danger, death, and 
 devastation, till they reach the busy haunts of maritime 
 commerce. 
 
 Next in proximity to the May, in a westerly direction, 
 the Bass presents its rugged aspect towering far beyond 
 the streaming flood, that in alternate tumult and slum- 
 bering quiescence, surrounds its solid, its immovable 
 basis. On account of its lofty elevation and its perpen-
 
 288 HISTORICAL SKKTCIIES 
 
 dicular altitude, it is extremely difficult of access to the 
 whole unwinged creation. It is by no means cursed 
 with desolation or sterility. Here fleecy flocks find 
 pasture on its summit, thousands of sea-fowl nestle in 
 its rugged cliffs, and the face of man is visible amongst 
 them. In ages less felicitous than the present, when 
 oppressive persecution, with scowling aspect, hoisted the 
 the crimson ensign in the realm of freedom ; when clouds 
 of impending horror darkened the moral horizon, and 
 dread convulsion shook the empire of social existence ; 
 when the fawning minions of blood-stained tyranny, 
 exerting their assumed prerogative, wielded the iron 
 sceptre of domination over the liberties of Scotland ; 
 when all was involved in the horrors of rapine, spolia- 
 tion, and slaughter, this rocky speck, that lifts its hoary 
 head in the liquid expanse, escaped not the unhallowed 
 tempest of war. Its proud elevation, its inaccessible 
 ramparts, and the unbending magnanimity of its gar- 
 risoned inmates, rendered it obnoxious to the rankling 
 suspicions and heart-burning jealousy of an affronted 
 enemy. And it was subjected to all the dread anticipa- 
 tions, the foreboding horrors, the frightful privations of a 
 sacked city. Nevertheless, it maintained its defensive 
 position amid all the hostile attacks, the appalling 
 menaces of the dominant foe, and only yielded to 
 capitulation on conditions of its own framing condi- 
 tions illustrious for stability of purpose, philanthropic 
 nobility of soul, and a magnanimous principle of patriot- 
 ism, fixed and unshrinking as the basis of the fortress 
 itself. 
 
 West of this notable rock, renowned in the history of 
 Scotland's griefs, the luminous Isle of Inchkeith emerges 
 from the stream, looms on the vision of the home-bound 
 mariner, and cheers the night-wrapt sky with its lofty 
 intermittent flame. This detached portion of the solid
 
 OF THK ISLAND OF MAY. 289 
 
 world exhibits no monotonous aspect, as would a barren 
 rock ; but subject to the vicissitudes of the changeful 
 climate it inhabits, its features ever vary with the cease- 
 less changes of time. The soft whispers of spring, the 
 life-inspiring balm, gently wafted on the vernal zephyr, 
 arrays its surface in flowery vegetation. The scorching 
 influence of summer, when the flaming sun, in the full 
 vigour of his radiant magnificence, blazes in the heights 
 of the fathomless azure, russets the freshness of the 
 blooming verdure. The surly scowl of winter, when the 
 hyperborean blast sweeps with resistless fury along the 
 cloud -wrapt canopy, diffuses a withering blight over the 
 isolated empire, and invests its entire domains in the 
 hoary vesture of decrepit age; whilst the imperious 
 billows of the Forth, impelled by dread ethereal impulse, 
 thunder with stupendous magnificence around its invul- 
 nerable precincts. In connection with this little island 
 there is an ancient tradition in perfect keeping with 
 the antiquated notions of enchantment so prevalent 
 in every age and country unillumined by the splen- 
 dours of science. At the period here referred to, 
 every event, however trivial in its nature, that mani- 
 fested itself in the absence of a visible cause, was 
 invariably attributed to the direct interposition of super- 
 natural agency; and wherever such apparently cause- 
 less event appeared it uniformly spread consternation, 
 terror, and dismay over the entire sphere of its rumoured 
 existence. 
 
 A respectable farmer situated on the southern strand 
 of the Forth, and whose lands extended to the margin 
 of the stream, was one morning struck with heart-freez- 
 ing surprise to discover a considerable portion of his 
 growing corn cropt and carried away, as if by a ravag- 
 ing swarm of locusts. This was no Morphean delusion, 
 aggravated by the humid lia/e of the morning no agri-
 
 290 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 cultural apparition or figment of the alarmed fancy no 
 illusive phantom conceived and fostered by the wild 
 imagination, but a palpable plunder of the precious fruits 
 in embryo, a dread frustration of the husbandman's hope. 
 Every morning as it transpired from the fathomless 
 jungle of future events, disclosed to the hapless yeoman 
 a wider scene of increasing devastation, a gathering 
 gloom around his autumnal prospects, and the grisly 
 image of ruin staring him broad in the face. Whilst 
 the devastating cause continued still involved in a laby- 
 rinth of inextricable perplexity, which all the philosophy 
 of the district was incompetent to unravel, no pestilent 
 visitation of those destructive orientals that oft despoil 
 the luxuriant foliage of the East had discovered them- 
 selves to the vision of living men, and no herds of 
 browsing animals, by which such havoc might have been 
 perpetrated, were understood to have any location in the 
 district. It was therefore gravely imputed to the black 
 ringleader of all mischief, the dreaded prince of the 
 infernal regions ; and the visible print of a huge cloven 
 foot, in the theatre of destruction, afforded strong pre- 
 sumptive evidence of the mysterious fact. Mustering 
 all the moral courage and fiend-defying fortitude of 
 which the soul of man was at that period possessed, and 
 which desperation was calculated to inspire, the master 
 and his hinds, well fortified with the fear-disarming 
 draught, resolved to watch while night drew her sable 
 curtain round the universal chamber of slumbering 
 nature, in order to establish the fell conjecture by the tes- 
 timony of their waking senses. It may here be observed, 
 that the vital atmosphere, at certain seasons of the year, 
 becomes impregnated with a vapour of a peculiar quality, 
 thatexercises a deceptive influence on the organs of vision, 
 so that distant objects loom much larger on the retina 
 than they are in reality, and assume appearances very
 
 OF THE ISLAND OF MAY. 291 
 
 different from those which the forming hand of nature 
 originally assigned to them. This seems clearly exem- 
 plified in the present instance. When the sun, with all 
 the dazzling splendours of his burning radiance, had 
 descended beneath the dusky horizon, and his glorious 
 pageantry evanished amid the deep nocturnal shades, the 
 rural expedition sallies forth on their vigilant mission ; 
 and, whilst governed by an irresistible feeling of curiosity 
 and anxiety mingled with terror, they rolled their humid 
 eyes around the dreaded locality, a dingy figure of 
 appalling magnitude appeared slowly emerging from the 
 peacefully undulating flood, and advancing towards the 
 scene of spoliation. The intrepid watch sent forth a 
 simultaneous shout, which partook much more of the 
 quality of terror than of triumph, which echoed through 
 the silent void, shivered along the craggy margin of the 
 stream, and reverberated on their ears with such astound- 
 ing effect, that the post of honour was deserted, and each 
 sought his personal safety in the fleetness of his heels. 
 And what heroic soul with triple courage fired would 
 have dared to maintain a position so awfully environed 
 with horror ? For, in conjunction with the yelling con- 
 fusion of sounds, like the growling vibration of distant 
 thunder, that assailed their astonished ears, their glisten- 
 ing eyes, or quaking fancy, perceived the monstrous fiend 
 make a furious sally, with a mouth yawning likea devour- 
 ing vortex, as if ready to pounce on the trembling guard 
 like a tiger on his prey. But, having fled aloof from 
 the blood-chilling presence of the imaginary demon, they 
 hazarded a pause, and ventured to shoot a rear-ward 
 glance into the vale of dread ; when, lo 1 amid the reced- 
 ing shades of the early glimmering twilight, they beheld 
 the horrific ravager abandon the theatre of devastation, 
 and vanish into the flood from whence he emerged. 
 Just at this crisis, the shrill clarion of the cock was
 
 292 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 heard from the barnyard proclaiming in cheerful strains 
 the birth of the morning a sound which no ghost, 
 goblin, kelpie, or devil that ever marred the face of this 
 beauteous creation possessed effrontery toresist. Strikingly 
 dreadful was the hue and cry that pervaded the district, 
 and by a fall decision of the court of conjecture, this 
 mysterious spoiler was declared to be nothing less than 
 the sovereign prince of the kelpies, though in reality it 
 was nothing more than a huge black bullock of no ordi- 
 nary dimensions. This four-footed marauder was one 
 of a herd that had been transported to the island for 
 pasturage during the summer, and like too many bipeds 
 more highly exalted in the scale of existence, was 
 influenced by an irresistible passion of covetousness. 
 And in the slumbering season of stilly silence, when 
 all nature lay wrapt in the curtains of night, he stole 
 away from his sleeping associates, and swam to the 
 mainland ; where, having glutted his appetite, he again 
 took the water and rejoined his companions before the 
 many-eyed sun had dispelled the nocturnal shades in 
 which he was enveloped. Whenever any abstruse pro- 
 blem is fully demonstrated, the mystery in which it wa>s 
 wrapt entirely vanishes like a flimsy vapour before the 
 beams of the vigorous sun. And how this enterprising 
 animal became so plump, fat, and sleek, though fre- 
 quently observed lolling in the lap of indolence, while 
 his fellows were assiduous in stanching the cravings of 
 hunger, became at once apparent. And although the 
 long puzzled yeoman sustained considerable damage in 
 his crops, a good fat bullock presented itself in the 
 shape of compensation, for the isolated herd was his own 
 exclusive property. 
 
 As the proud vessel, with majestic prow, bounds over 
 the briny wave, pursues the receding horizon apace into 
 the invisible regions of the western sky, and unfolds to
 
 OF THE ISLAN'D OF MAY. 293 
 
 the vigilant eyes of the watchful mariner objects before 
 imperceptible, the beautiful islet of Inchcolm, with all 
 its garniture, ancient and modern, opes upon his vision. 
 This little sea-girt speck in the creation, though appa- 
 rently veiled in the dusk of obscurity, is not without a 
 name in the world and a meed of celebrity in the annals 
 of history. Here an antiquated seminary of learning 
 exhibits its smouldering remains, deformed and shattered 
 beneath the pressure of accumulated centuries ; here 
 science, extending her plumy pinions, wafted the last fail- 
 work of heaven from the degrading sphere of grovelling 
 uncultivated nature to a glorious elevation of knowledge, 
 civilisation, and polished refinement. Every degree of 
 advancement in the acquisition of knowledge uniformly 
 operates as a stimulant, prompting the student onward to 
 another, and creates a more ardent desire to wade deeper 
 in the mazes of perplexity in quest of higher attainments 
 and nobler discoveries. Actuated by this peculiar 
 impulse, tradition relates that two male infants, supposed 
 perfect in all the organs of speech, were placed upon this 
 islet (some say Inchkeith), under the surveillance of a 
 person deaf and dumb, and totally secluded from inter- 
 course with any speaking machine, in order to ascertain 
 what language they would acquire by the mere tuition of 
 nature ; and if the authority already quoted be at all 
 worthy of credence, in process of time the two innocent 
 exiles returned to the mainland conversing fluently with 
 each other in pure Celtic accents, alleged to be the 
 language of their parents. The soil seems peculiarly 
 adapted for a kitchen-garden, being famous for the 
 multitude and magnitude of its onions, which are culti- 
 vated to a considerable extent. 
 
 Contemplating the situation of these four islands, their 
 direct bearing from each other, and the nature of the 
 submerged ground that occupies each intervening space,
 
 -''1 HISTORICAL SKKTOHKS 
 
 it seems by no means improbable that at some remote 
 period of the world's history, they were all connected by 
 an isthmus ; or, in other words, that the whole comprised 
 but one undivided portion of the solid universe ; and, 
 consequently, the waters of the Forth flowed and receded 
 in two distinct channels, but when or by what means 
 this mysterious process of mutilation was accomplished, 
 whether by the incessant action of the turbulent element, 
 or by an instantaneous disruption of the solid mate- 
 rials, produced by some prodigious convulsion of nature, 
 appears secreted beyond the pale of conjecture ; but still 
 the obvious event excites the inquisitive principle, and 
 urges the adventurous fancy to reel backward through 
 the dark postern of elapsed time, and with an eye of 
 eager scrutiny, ransack the vale of accumulated ages in 
 quest of the productive cause. With flight obscure and 
 devious she abandons the visible present, and roams 
 through the oblivious regions of the past to the misty 
 regions of the antediluvian world ; and seizing hold of 
 that memorable epoch when the fountains of the great 
 deep exploded at the frown of incensed Omnipotence, 
 when the latent waters belched with resistless impetu- 
 osity from the great central cavity of the globe when 
 the fructifyingcloudsof heaven discharged, in rushingcata- 
 racts, their accumulated stores on the surface of the satu- 
 rated earth when every wimpling rill was converted into 
 a rolling, rapid, impassable river, bursting asunder every 
 restraining barrier, and triumphing over all human 
 opposition, till the wide world became one unbounded 
 expanse of monotonous water ; seizing on that inscrutable 
 convulsion of nature, the inquisitive fancy ascribes to it 
 the sole cause of this mysterious disruption of territory, 
 and the formation of these diversifying specks that rise 
 amid the waters of the Forth. As the sprightly war- 
 blers, that vocalizo the forest with their artless melody.
 
 OF TIIK ISf.AND OF MAY. I'll,) 
 
 flit from one verdant bough to another, so the errant 
 imagination, ever restless, ever indulging her unfettered 
 extravagance, flies from one romantic conclusion to 
 another with the fleet rapidity of a thunderbolt. Dis- 
 pleased with the stability of her assumed position, she 
 makes a transit, sudden and swift as the flash from the 
 lowering cloud, from the dread convulsion of the universal 
 deluge to some more recent period of the world's eventful 
 history ; and having canvassed the smouldering com- 
 bustion that lurks in the latent caverns of the globe, she 
 fixes her talons on the horror-charged earthquake, that 
 rends the rocks of adamant, dissevers the sinews of 
 creation, and inverts the order of nature, converting 
 attractive beauty, grandeur, and utility into a scene of 
 repulsive deformity, horror and naked desolation. With 
 this terrific desolation she combines the influence of 
 volcanic eruption equally nameless in the annals of 
 history, when opposing elements, jarring in the dark 
 depths of unexplored nature, poured forth a fiery deluge 
 involved in clouds of sulphureous vapour, shaking the 
 ponderous sphere of terrestrial existence, hurling cities 
 with all their antiquated glory into the gulf of eternal 
 oblivion, or overthrowing the cloud-capped mountains of 
 immemorial antiquity, and banishing rivers and fertilising 
 streams into perpetual exile. Thus wandering in the 
 dubious paths of conjecture, the ever busy imagination 
 ascribes to these uproarious events all such unaccountable 
 features in the aspect of creation ; but though it seems 
 obvious that such a tract of land, as previously described, 
 exhibited itself in that great branch of the German 
 Ocean subsequent to the first revolution of time's complex 
 machinery, when or by what means it became sub- 
 divided into these isolated localities, is a problem abstruse 
 and difficult, whose certain solution will baffle the last
 
 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 
 
 descendants of Adam, and absorb the last sands of 
 expiring time. 
 
 Since the lordship of man on its axis first turned, 
 
 And oceans unbounded and fathomless flowed ; 
 Since the sovereign of lights in the firmament burned, 
 
 And the cold naked earth with his radiance first glowed ; 
 Since the mountains aloft their proud summits upheaved, 
 
 And the fountains down gushed, fertilizing the plains ; 
 Since forests, new sprung, their fresh foliage waved, 
 
 'Twere folly to think the glibe changeless remains. 
 
 Unceasing it rolls in the regions of space, 
 
 But once, 'tis opined, was its motion suppressed 
 Incessantly changing position and place, 
 
 Eesponding anon its creator's behest. 
 'Mid its veins and recesses, in darkness concealed 
 
 From the vision of mortals, war absolute reigns, 
 Whose influence waste and mutation ensues, 
 
 O'er the sphere of creation where'er it obtains. 
 
 Vicissitude stalks through the world's wide range, 
 
 Her signet's on all its components impressed, 
 Its whole constitution's a theatre of change, 
 
 Evinced in its aspect, or locked in its breast. 
 See islands unnumbered in solitude rear 
 
 Their visage romantic in fathomless seas, 
 And lakes, rolling rivers, and oceans appear 
 
 Where wide-spreading forests once waved in the breeze. 
 
 Where mountains their rough shaggy summits upheaved, 
 
 Pure rivulets meander in hollow ravines, 
 And big swollen streams, of their sources bereaved, 
 
 Resign their domains to the tall shady pines. 
 Old empires extensive, and continents vast, 
 
 Bisected with rivers, new features assume, 
 As when by intestine commotion's rude blast, 
 
 Fair landscapes of beauty wild deserts become.
 
 01 THE ISLAND OF MAY. 297 
 
 So changed is the world since the author of liyht 
 
 First kindled the sun by a visual glanoe, 
 Or the genius of evil, successful in sleight, 
 
 All nature involved in a direful mischance, ; 
 To peep were the primitive lord of the soil 
 
 From his mother's cold bosom, her face he'd disown, 
 Nor once recognise the old scene of his toil, 
 
 But look as transferred to a planet unknown. 
 
 FINIS.
 
 ******* ****4 
 
 * * *, * * *. * *;,*-* * 
 % * * ** * ****** 
 
 ^*- 
 
 r * '* * * * 
 afe * * *^*^ 
 
 ? * * * ** 
 
 ^ 
 *'* 
 
 ^> 
 
 **** 
 
 **'* ** * * * * * * 4 
 
 'I*********************. 
 
 r * * 
 
 ** 
 
 r * * 
 * * 
 
 -.^,^ 
 ****J 
 
 >******%****%****%*, 
 
 r T* * * * *^*^.* *^*^.*^* 
 *** **r * * * * **< 
 
 **********
 
 , , 
 
 * . * * * * * 
 
 * * * * * ' * 
 
 * *^* * * * 
 
 Mr* ^Am *^. 
 
 ******* *, 
 
 ********* 
 
 * * * * * 
 
 * * 
 
 * * 
 
 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 
 A 000087588 
 
 * * * 
 
 * * * 
 
 -.-.-. ^. 
 
 * * * * * 
 
 ^ 
 
 * , * 
 
 - \~ 
 
 . 
 
 * 
 
 -fcr 
 
 * * 
 
 *^ 
 
 * * 
 
 ^^_ ^ ^^ ^ 
 
 *********** 
 
 -*^.* * * * * * * * * 
 *********** 
 
 ^ -. 
 
 ***** 
 
 ****, 
 
 -. 
 * 
 
 * 
 
 ^ ^ 
 
 ** *-*** 
 
 
 ** 
 
 * 
 * * 
 
 * * * 
 
 *^*^*^* *^* * * *.* * * 
 ************ 
 
 * *^* * *^* ****** 
 
 * * * *^*^* * * * * *. 
 ******* ****^ 
 
 *^* *^*^.*^* *.**** 
 
 * * * * * * * * Jfr * * * 
 *********** 
 
 **,,** *^* * *^*^* * * 
 
 * * * * * * * * * * * 
 ************ 
 
 * * *^*^* ****** 
 ************ 
 
 *********** 
 
 * * * * *^* * *^.*^,* * * 
 *********** 
 
 *-*-* * *^.* * * * * * * 
 
 *********** 
 *.,*^* * ******** 
 
 *-* *-.*-.** *^** * * 
 ************ 
 
 **********-* 
 
 ************ 
 
 *********** 
 
 * ***.** * * * * * * 
 *********** 
 
 * * * *********