Chapter IV: Part I

1.

Stanza i. page 17.

_While torch-light reddens the lone cave,
And brightens every paler face._

Boece describes the Bass as “ane wounderful crag, risand within the see, with sa narro and strait hals (passage) that na schip nor bait may arrive bot allanerlie at ane part of it. This crag is callit the Bas; unwinnabill be ingine of man. In it ar coves, als proffitable for defence of men, as they were biggit be crafty industry.—_Bellenden’s Boece_, vol. 1. cap. xxxvii.—The ruins of the castle, or rather of later fortifications, still remain.

2.

Stanza iv. page 19.

_White monsters in the Forth were seen
Disporting in the waters green,
With crested head, like horned owl,
O’erspread with film like Carmelite’s cowl._

“Ane multitude of fische was sene in Forth, the tane half of thame above the watter, na thing different fra the figour of man; callit, be the pepil, Bassinatis. Thir fische hes blak skinnis hingand on thair bodyis, with quhilk, sum time, thay covir thair heid and thair cragis, evin to thair schulderis. Quhen thir fische fletis in our seyis, thay signify gret infortuniteis to mortal pepill.—_Ibid_, vol. ii. 179.—These monsters were probably seals, or sea-dogs, which frequent the mouth of Tyne; but which now come and go without either breeding terror to man or murrain to cattle.

3.

Stanza iv. page 19.

_And many saw pale Loda’s form
Gleam in his meteor-clad array._

“The spirit of Loda sat, in his cloud, behind the ships of Frothal. He hung forward with all his blasts, and spread the white-bosomed sails.”—_Ossian._

Loda is supposed to be the ancient Odin of Scandinavia.

4.

Stanza vii. page 21.

_The Priest of Garmilton
Loud spake, while from his eyes there shone
Radiance, like lightning from a cloud._

The priest of Garmilton, or Garleton, is an imaginary character; but from the writs of Garmilton it appears, that there was a chapel of St Mungo existed there in 1457.

1. “Foundation of William Tours and his spouse in honour of the altar of St Mungo, of an annual of ten merks yearly, out of certain lands in Haddington, January 3, 1457.

2. “An indenture betwixt Sir James Tours, and Walter Henderson, chaplain of the chaplainry of his chapel of Garleton, founded of St Mungo, May 26, 1534.

3. “Charter granted by Alexander Tours of Innerleith of the chaplainry of St Mungo, situate in Garleton-Noble, in favour of Finlay Hunter, of all and hail, a tenement of land in Haddington, dated last January 14.”—_Heads of the Writs of Garmilton._

Near the chapel was a mineral spring, called, from the virtue of its waters, the Vertur Well. It was much resorted to by persons afflicted with scrofulous disorders.

Anciently there were two villages or hamlets at Garleton, called Garmilton-Noble (from William Noble,) and Garmilton Alexander (from Alexander II.) or Mid Garleton, now East and West Garleton. In 1507, the Garletons passed from Lindsay of the Byres to the celebrated Sir David Lindsay of the Mount, poet, and Lord Lyon King at Arms, during the reign of James V.; from him it was conveyed to John Tours, next to George, Earl of Winton; in 1720 to Sir Francis Kinloch, and in 1724 to the Earl of Wemyss.—The original name is evidently derived from Gar-mull-ton, the _bare rocky town_, which is applicable to its situation.

There was an old song in praise of Garleton, which Mr Skirving, author of the fine satirical song on the battle of Prestonpans, and the father of the celebrated painter of that name, was wont to sing, but I never heard more than the two first lines, printed in italics; the other lines I have added, to give some meaning to the verses:

_The bonny parks o’ Garleton,
Their name ye ken, their name ye ken_,
That lie beneath the Hanging Crags,
Where Cogtal’s gentle waters rin.

The bird that soars frae dawning morn
To pensive e’ening’s twilight fa’,
Beholds nae fairer fields than these
On a’ the earth’s terraqueous ba.’

O! meet me on the Lady’s Koowe,
When day glides o’er the Ochils hie;
Then crowns may deck the monarch’s brow,
While Love and Beauty stray wi’ me.

It is more than probable that St Kentigern or Mungo resided in this neighbourhood, as the chapel of Garleton is the only one which I have discovered, dedicated to St Mungo in East Lothian; and about a mile and a half from its site is a place still called _Mungo’s Wells_. I may conclude in the words of Chalmers, that “at the romantic foot of the Garleton hills stands the house of Garleton, which shows in its present ruins its ancient magnificence.”—For a strange story of an apparition, connected with this decayed mansion, see my notes on witchcraft, appended to the “LOST DRAVE,” in this volume; and for an account of the remains of a Pictish town or fort near this place, see notes to the “VISION OF HUNGUS.”

While on this subject, I may be pardoned for introducing another ballad to the notice of the reader, of more importance.

David Lindsay, third son of Patrick, fourth Lord Lindsay and Byres, was killed at the battle of Flodden. Some of his tenants probably accompanied him to that fatal field, since the old song says,

“For a’ that fell at Flodden field,
“Rouny HOOD of _the Hule_ cam hame.”

It were devoutly to be wished that more of this ballad could be recovered. _The Hule_ now consists of a few cottages on the farm of Prora, in the parish of Athelstaneford. The epithet _rouny_ seems here used as a term of reproach. Old Scottish nicknames commonly terminated with that syllable; as, _custroun_, a poor pitiful fellow, &c.—See _Sibbald’s Glossary_.

5.

Stanza viii. page 22.

_I swear by Hadda-Chuan’s stone,
That storms are in the sky!
Yes, by the tempest saint I swear
Of green Iona’s Isle!_

There was a chapel dedicated to St Columba in the isle of Troda, near the northernmost point of Sky, called Hunish. In Hadda-Chuan also, that is, _Hadda of the Ocean_, which is about two leagues distant from Hunish Point, there is another chapel dedicated to the same saint.

“It has an altar in the east end; and there is a blue stone of a round form on it, which is always moist. It is an ordinary custom, when any of the fishermen are detained in the isle, by contrary winds, to wash the blue stone with water all around, expecting thereby to procure a favourable wind, which the credulous tenant living in the isle, says, never fails, especially if a stranger wash the stone. The stone is likewise applied to the sides of people troubled with stitches, and they say it is effectual for that purpose. And so great is the regard that they have for this stone, that they swear decisive oaths on it.”—See _Western Islands_, p. 27, and _Hist. Culdees_, p. 184.

6.

Stanza xi. p. 24.

_Each left the corpse, save that dark man
Cormac, from Aberlady’s shore,
Who, deem’d a cunning artisan,
Had left Kilspindie’s cells at dawn._

It has been conjectured that the Culdees had a cell near Aberlady. There are still visible the vestiges of a small chapel on the north-west corner of the church-yard. “Kilspindie, the place of their settlement, near Aberlady, (observes Chalmers,) is supposed to have derived its name from the Culdees; _Cil-ys-pen-du_, signifying, in the British speech, the _cell of the Black Heads_.”

Cormac, as regards the poem, is a fictitious personage; but while St Columba resided at the court of Brudi, King of the Picts, he met with the Regulus, or petty prince of the Orkneys, whose protection he solicited for Cormac, one of his disciples, whom he _foreknew_ was on his way to the Western Islands.—_Hist. Culd._ p. 179.

I may add, with respect to this monk’s being deemed a _cunning artisan_, that in a monastery which St Mungo founded in Wales, “there were daily entertained six hundred three score and three persons, of which number three hundred were kept at some _manual_ work within the monastery; other three hundred did labour in the fields, and practise husbandry; and the rest being appointed for divine service, had the day and night divided among them, so that there were some always in the church praising God.”—_Spotswood_, p. 11.

7.

Stanza xiii. page 25.

_That hail’d the monk of Lindisfarn,
In friendship free—in virtue stern._

The introduction of the Bishop of Lindisfarn may in part be considered an anachronism; as, according to Chalmers, the epoch of this bishoprick did not exist till 30 years afterwards, when it extended over the ample range of Lothian, and continued till the decline of the Northumbrian kingdom. Tyningham belonged to this bishoprick, saith Hoveden.—_Caledonia_, vol. ii. p. 501. In King Duncan’s charter of grants to St Cuthbert, (who was successor to Aidan,) the following four places are mentioned: Tyningham, Aldham, Scuchale (Scoughal) and Cnolle (Knowes,) with Hetherwick and Brocesmouth.—_Ibid._

8.

Stanza xv. page 27.

_That hill, which in a latter day
By witchcraft near was borne away,
When the Gyre Carling strode the mast._

For an account of the _Gyre Carling_, the mother witch of the Scottish peasantry, see notes to the “LOST DRAVE” in this volume.

9.

Stanza xv. page 27.

_Unlike St Serf, the church’s keel,
Who with his prayers the dragon slew!_

The legend of St Serf is a specimen of the absurd tales that amused the ignorant in the early ages.

“In dovyn of devotyoune,
“And prayere he slwe a fell Dragowne.”
_Wyntown’s Cronykil_, book v. chap. 12.

St Mungo was the disciple of St Serf. The long conversation between St Serf and the devil in a cave at Dysart, is a valuable specimen of the theology and logic of that age: When Satan found he could not subdue the Saint,

“He sayd than,
“He kend hym for a wys man;
“For he wan at hym na profyte.”—_Ibid._

Amongst other miracles related of St Serf, when he landed in Fife, on his way to Culross,

“Thare oure the wattyr he kest his wand,
“That suddanly grewe in a tree,
“And bare of appylys gret plente.”—_Ibid._

The story of his favourite ram must not be passed over: On the thief being brought into the Saint’s presence,

“Soon he worthyd rede for schame,
“The schepe thar bletyd in hys wame.”
_Wyntown’s Cronykil_, book v. chap. 12.

10.

Stanza xvi. page 27.

_When they beheld, as dropt from heaven,
That lone Aemonian,
The hermit of Inch-Colme’s isle._

The abbey of Inch-Colm was founded by Alexander I. about the year 1123; but it was dedicated to St Columba, abbot of Iona, and had formerly been possessed by one of his followers. Veneration for the memory of Columba is assigned as the reason of the royal foundation. It is said, that the king, when attempting to cross at the Queen’s Ferry, being overtaken by a violent storm from the south, urged the mariners to run into the isle Aemonia, where at that time lived a certain hermit, who, devoted to the service of St Columba, diligently attended to the duties of religion, contenting himself with such slender support as the milk of one cow and the shell fishes on the sea shore afforded. The king and his company being confined here for three days by the storm, were supported by these means; and, because from his youth he was attached to St Columba, and had vowed to him, when in danger of perishing by the storm, that, if he arrived safely at this island, he would erect some monument worthy of his memory, he afterwards founded and endowed the abbey here.—Vide _Regist. Inch-Colm_, 56.—See _Hist. Culd._ p. 187.

11.

Stanza xviii. page 29.

_His zone with iron hoops was braced;
His buckler on his arm was placed:—
Now raising high his sounding lance,
He bade the trembling crowds advance._

“The Pict (says Herodian) has generally no use in apparel, howbeit the nobler sort of them do wrap their heads and wombs “in hoops of iron, esteeming this kind of attire, in such as wear the same, to be a token of wealth and riches. Besides shaving their nether lip, they painted over their bodies with the image of all kinds of beasts. They esteemed it a great glory to have these paintings seen, instead of other armour, with a short lance and narrow target or buckler. Their swords were tied to their naked sides with a thong; and as for jack, shirt of mail or helmet, they made no regard of them, because they would trouble them in swimming, or when compelled to wade.”—_Holinshed’s Chron._ The end of the Pictish lance contained a hollow bullet of brass, filled with small pieces of iron, which made a great noise when shaken.

12.

Stanza xxv. page 34.

_To sail on heaven’s transparent streams
With Jhules, the angels of the air._

Jhules, a particular species of genii, which the northern nations worship on certain festivals: they are supposed to inhabit the air, and to have great power over human actions, yet are without form or substance. As the Picts are considered to have been a colony of Scandinavians, or more northern nations, it seems not out of place to introduce the objects of Teutonic superstition.

13.

Stanza xxvi. page 35.

_Upon his right, with martial brow,
Appeared the young Prince Derili._

A clerical friend of mine is of opinion, that we may trace the etymology of Dirleton from _Derili_ king of the Picts. If so, it establishes this beautiful domain as a royal residence of great antiquity. As the principal seat of the Pictish kings was situated on the Tay, on the opposite coast, its proximity to the shores of Fife might render it a desirable residence for a young prince, when it was more safe and expeditious to travel by sea than over a barbarous country.

Derili was the son of Brudeus, the patron of Kentigern, who was the instructor of Baldred. In the year 700, Brude V., the son of Derili, bestowed the island of Lochleven on St Serf and the Culdees residing there.—See _Hist. Culdees_, p. 131. According to Winton, there was another of this sirname, called Nectan Derly, who reigned in 716:

“Sevyn hundyr wynter and sextene,
Quhen lychtare wes the Virgyne clene,
Pape of Rome than Gregore
The secund, quham of yhe herd before,
And Anastas than Empryowre,
The fyrst yhere of hys honowre,
Nectan DERLY wes than regnand
Owre the Peychtis in Scotland.”
_Wyntown’s Cronykil_, vol i. book v.

14.

Stanza xxvi. page 36.

_St Conwal, on his left, was led
By Asaph, soon to suffering bred._

Conwal and Asaph were both disciples of St Mungo.—_Keith’s Cat._ p. 232. The latter, like Baldred, was bishop and confessor, a title only given to those who, in spite of persecution, had adhered to the faith. Those who may be credulous of the self-inflicted mortifications I have ascribed to these early saints, may consult Swift’s Jocelin’s Life of St Patrick, p. 244. Their master, St Mungo, after he came to the years of understanding, never tasted flesh nor drank wine, but slept on the cold ground, with a stone for his pillow.—See _Spotswood_, p. 11.

15.

Stanza xxvii. page 38.

_Then first by Aldham’s holy shade
The solemn pageant paused the while._

Aldham church was situated on the sea-cliff west from the village. Its ruins were visible in 1770, but have since been removed to make room for agricultural improvements. This church was said to be founded by Baldred. At Scoughall, a short distance eastward from Aldham, were also the remains of a chapel.

16.

Stanza xxxiii. page 42.

_Eastward of Binning’s beauteous wood,
Stood Baldred’s mossy cell._

The church of Tyningham was founded by St Baldred in the sixth century. This chapel had the privilege of sanctuary; for Malcolm IV. granted to the monks of Kelso the church of Inverlethan, with the same privileges of that kind as Tyningham and Stowe enjoyed, both of which belonged to the see of St Andrews.—_Chalmers’ Cal._ vol. ii. p. 545.

The ruins of the church, which still remain, will be noticed in the subsequent pages.

17.

Stanza xxxiv. page 44.

_Then quiver’d, as with earthquake’s shock,
St Baldred’s cradle in the rock,
And Whitberry’s rugged point was broke;
And, lo! (as old traditions say)
That boat of stone in Aldham’s bay,
Yclept the Saint’s, was seen to sail!_

At Whitberry point, near the mouth of the Tyne, a deep fissure formed between two rocks, is called St Baldred’s Cradle, which tradition says elegantly, is “rocked by the winds and the waves.” A small rock at the mouth of Aldham bay is called Baudron’s (Baldred’s) Boat. See Introduction to the poem, p. 5.

18.

Stanza xxxvi. page 47.

_And as they pass near ancient Cnolle,
Fair Preston’s bell begins to toll._

Cnolle (Knowes) is one of the places mentioned in the charter of King Duncan to St Cuthbert. As a living proof that it stands on holy ground, a field adjoining to the present farm house is called the _Bishop’s Garden_. Some years ago, the workmen of Mr Hunter, while giving a deep furrow to a field south from the house, came upon the remains of an ancient cemetery. It contained, in coffins, formed of stone flags, a number of human skeletons, placed in regular rows, with their feet to the east. From the ground occupied, it was calculated that six or seven hundred bodies may have been thus interred. As the teeth of those examined were entire, and the skeletons measured from four feet four to more than six feet, it was reasonably conjectured that they were the victims of a battle. This conclusion is strengthened from the circumstance, that, in a park, about half a mile distant, on the farm of Kirkland-hill, is one of those rudely sculptured perpendicular stones, which are commonly supposed to mark the scene of contention of an early period. A similar rude monument stands on the north side of Pencraik-hill; as also several in Athelstaneford parish, which I shall have occasion to notice in my notes to the “VISION OF HUNGUS.”

19.

Stanza xxxvii. page 47.

_They have made St Baldred’s grave
Under Preston’s sculptured nave—
They have borne the saint’s last pall,
And placed his statue in the wall._

The church of Prestonkirk is supposed to have been originally built for St Baldred; part of the ruins still remain contiguous to the modern fabric, which was built in 1770. The late Sir George Buchan Hepburn observes, in a letter to the author of Caledonia, that “Baldred’s statue lay long in the church-yard; and he had intended to have got it built into the church-wall; but, during his absence, an irreverent mason ignorantly broke it in pieces.”—_Caledonia_, vol. ii. p. 541.

An old intelligent carpenter told me, that this statue was similar to the one now lying in Tyningham church. It was called St Baudron’s; but was supposed to be the figure of some one who had left large endowments for ecclesiastical purposes.

NOTES TO SAINT BALDRED.