CantoFirst。
EachcantoisintroducedbyoneormoreSpenserianstanzas,[FN#5]
formingakindofpreludetoit。Thoseprefixedtothefirstcantoserveasanintroductiontothewholepoem,whichis"inspiredbythespiritoftheoldScottishminstrelsy。"
2。Witch—elm。Thebroad—leavedorwychelm(Ulmusmontana),indigenoustoScotland。Forkedbranchesofthetreewereusedintheoldentimeasdivining—rods,andridingswitchesfromitweresupposedtoinsuregoodluckonajourney。Intheclosingstanzasofthepoem(vi。846)itiscalledthe"wizardelm。"
Tennyson(InMemoriam,89)refersto"Witch—elmsthatcounterchangethefloorOfthisflatlawnwithduskandbright。"
SaintFillanwasaScotchabbotoftheseventhcenturywhobecamefamousasasaint。Hehadtwosprings,whichappeartobeconfoundedbysomeeditorsofthepoem。OnewasattheeasternendofLochEarn,wheretheprettymodernvillageofSt。Fillansnowstands,undertheshadowofDunFillan,orSt。Fillan’sHills,sixhundredfeethigh,onthetopofwhichthesaintusedtosayhisprayers,asthemarksofhiskneesintherockstilltestifytothecredulous。TheotherspringisatanothervillagecalledSt。Fillans,nearlythirtymilestothewestward,justoutsidethelimitsofourmap,ontheroadtoTyndrum。InthisHolyPool,asitiscalled,insanefolkweredippedwithcertainceremonies,andthenleftboundallnightintheopenair。Iftheywerefoundloosethenextmorning,theyweresupposedtohavebeencured。Thistreatmentwaspractisedaslateas1790,accordingtoPennant,whoaddsthatthepatientsweregenerallyfoundinthemorningrelievedoftheirtroubles——bydeath。
Anotherwriter,in1843,saysthatthepoolisstillvisited,notbypeopleofthevicinity,whohavenofaithinitsvirtue,butbythosefromdistantplaces。ScottalludestothisspringinMarmion,i。29:
"ThencetoSaintFillan’sblessedwell,Whosespringscanfrenzieddreamsdispel,Andthecrazedbrainrestore。"
3。Anddownthefitfulbreeze,etc。TheoriginalMS。reads:
"Andonthefitfulbreezethynumbersflung,Tillenviousivy,withherverdantring,Mantledandmuffledeachmelodiousstring,——
OWizardHarp,stillmustthineaccentssleep?"
10。Caledon。Caledonia,theRomannameofScotland。
14。Eachaccordingpause。Thatis,eachpauseinthesinging。
InMarmion,ii。11,accordingisusedofmusicthatfillstheintervalsofothermusic:
"Soonastheynearedhisturretsstrong,ThemaidensraisedSaintHilda’ssong,Andwiththesea—waveandthewindTheirvoices,sweetlyshrill,combined,Andmadeharmoniousclose;
Then,answeringfromthesandyshore,Half—drownedamidthebreakers’roar,Accordingchorusrose。"
TheMS。readshere:
"AteachaccordingpausethouspokestaloudThineardentsympathysublimeandhigh。"
28。Thestagatevehaddrunkhisfill。Themetreofthepoemproperisiambic,thatis,withtheaccentontheevensyllables,andoctosyllabic,oreightsyllablestotheline。
29。Monan’srill。St。MonanwasaScotchmartyrofthefourthcentury。Wecanfindnomentionofanyrillnamedforhim。
31。Glenartney。Avalleytothenorth—eastofCallander,withBenvoirlich(whichrisestotheheightof3180feet)onthenorth,andUam—Var(see53below)onthesouth,separatingitfromthevalleyoftheTeith。IttakesitsnamefromtheArtney,thestreamflowingthroughit。
32。Hisbeaconred。Thefigureisanappropriateoneindescribingthisregion,wherefiresonthehill—topsweresooftenusedassignalsintheoldentime。Cf。theLay,iii。379:
"Andsoonascoreoffires,Iween,Fromheight,andhill,andcliff,wereseen,Eachwithwarliketidingsfraught;
Eachfromeachthesignalcaught,"etc。
34。Deep—mouthed。Cf。Shakespeare,1Hen。VI。ii。4。12:
"Betweentwodogs,whichhaththedeepermouth;"andT。ofS。
ind。1。18:"thedeep—mouthedbrach"(thatis,hound)。
TheMS。reads:
"Thebloodhound’snotesofheavybassResoundedhoarselyupthepass。"
35。Resounded……rocky。Thepoetoftenavailshimselfof"aptalliteration’sartfulaid,"ashere,andinthenexttwolines;
mostfrequentlyinpairsofwords。
38。AsChief,etc。Notehere,asoften,thesimileputBEFORE
thatwhichitillustrates,——aneffectiverhetorical,thoughnotthelogical,arrangement。
45。Beamedfrontlet。Antleredforehead。
46。Adown。Aninstanceofapurelypoeticalword,notadmissibleinprose。
49。Chase。Hereputforthoseengagedinthechase;asin101
and171,below。OneofitsregularmeaningsistheOBJECTofthechase,ortheanimalpursued。
53。Uam—Var。"Ua—Var,asthenameispronounced,ormoreproperlyUaigh—mor,isamountaintothenorth—eastofthevillageofCallander,inMenteith,derivingitsname,whichsignifiesthegreatden,orcavern,fromasortofretreatamongtherocksonthesouthside,said,bytradition,tohavebeentheabodeofagiant。Inlattertimes,itwastherefugeofrobbersandbanditti,whohavebeenonlyextirpatedwithinthesefortyorfiftyyears。Strictlyspeaking,thisstrongholdisnotacave,asthenamewouldimply,butasortofsmallenclosure,orrecess,surroundedwithlargerocksandopenabovehead。Itmayhavebeenoriginallydesignedasatoilfordeer,whomightgetinfromtheoutside,butwouldfinditdifficulttoreturn。Thisopinionprevailsamongtheoldsportsmenanddeer—stalkersintheneighborhood"(Scott)。
54。Yelled。Notetheemphaticforceoftheinversion,asin59
below。Cf。38above。
Opening。Thatis,barkingonvieworscentofthegame;ahuntingterm。Cf。Shakespeare,M。W。iv。2。209:"IfIbarkoutthusuponnotrailnevertrustmewhenIopenagain。"
Thedescriptionoftheechowhichfollowsisveryspirited。
66。Cairn。Literally,aheapofstones;hereputpoeticallyfortherockypointwhichthefalcontakesasalook—out。
69。Hurricane。Ametaphorforthewildrushofthehunt。
71。Linn。Literally,adeeppool;butoften=cataract,asinBracklinn,ii。270below(cf。vi。488),andsometimes=
precipice。
73。Onthelonewood。Notethemusicalvariationinthemeasurehere;the1st,3d,and4thsyllablesbeingaccentedinsteadofthe2dand4th。Itisoccasionallyintroducedintoiambicmetrewithadmirableeffect。Cf。85and97below。
76。Thecavern,etc。Seeon53above。
80。Perforce。Apoeticalword。Seeon46above。
84。Shrewdly。Severely,keenly;asensenowobsolete。Shrewdoriginallymeantevil,mischievous。Cf。Shakespeare,A。Y。L。v。
4。179,whereitissaidthatthose"Thathaveendur’dshrewddaysandnightswithusShallsharethegoodofourreturnedfortune。"
InChaucer(TaleofMelibocus)wefind,"Theprophetesaith:Fleeshrewdnesse,anddogoodnesse"(referringtoPs。xxxiv。14)。
89。Menteith。ThedistrictinthesouthwesternpartofPerthshire,wateredbytheTeith。
91。Mountainandmeadow,etc。Seeon35above。MossisusedintheNorth—of—Englandsenseofaboggyorpeatydistrict,likethefamousChatMossbetweenLiverpoolandManchester。
93。Lochard。LochArdisabeautifullakelet,aboutfivemilessouthofLochKatrine。OnitseasternsideisthesceneofHelenMacgregor’sskirmishwiththeKing’stroopsinRobRoy;andnearitshead,onthenorthernside,isawaterfall,whichistheoriginalofFloraMacIvor’sfavoriteretreatinWaverley。
Aberfoyleisavillageaboutamileandahalftotheeastofthelake。
95。LochAchray。AlakebetweenLochKatrineandLochVennachar,lyingjustbeyondthepassoftheTrosachs。
97。Benvenue。Amountain,2386feetinheight,onthesouthernsideofLochKatrine。
98。Withthehope。TheMS。has"withtheTHOUGHT,"and"flyingHOOF"inthenextline。
102。’Twere。Itwouldbe。Cf。Shakespeare,Macb。ii。2。73:
"Toknowmydeed,’twerebestnotknowmyself。"
103。Cambusmore。TheestateofafamilynamedBuchanan,whomScottfrequentlyvisitedinhisyoungerdays。ItisabouttwomilesfromCallander,onthewoodedbanksoftheKeltie,atributaryoftheTeith。
105。Benledi。Amountain,2882feethigh,northwestfromCallander。Thenameissaidtomean"MountainofGod。"
106。Bochastle’sheath。AmoorbetweentheeastendofLochVennacharandCallander。Seealsoonv。298below。
107。ThefloodedTeith。TheTeithisformedbystreamsfromLochVoilandfromLochKatrine(bywayofLochAchrayandLochVennachar),whichuniteatCallander。ItjoinstheForthnearStirling。
111。Vennachar。Asthemapshows,this"LakeoftheFairValley"isthemosteasternofthethreelakesaroundwhichthesceneryofthepoemlies。Itisaboutfivemileslongandamileandahalfwide。
112。TheBriggofTurk。Thisbrig,orbridge(cf。Burns’spoemofTheBrigsofAyr),isoverastreamthatcomesdownfromGlenfinlasandflowsintotheoneconnectingLochsAchrayandVennachar。AccordingtoGraham,itis"thesceneofthedeathofawildboarfamousinCeltictradition。"
114。Unbated。Cf。Shakespeare,M。ofV。ii。6。11:
"WhereisthehorsethatdothuntreadagainHistediousmeasureswiththeunbatedfireThathedidpacethemfirst?"
115。Scourgeandsteel。Whipandspur。Steelisoftenusedforthesword(asinv。239below:"foemanworthyoftheirsteel"),thefigurebeingofthesamesortashere——"thematerialputforthethingmadeofit。"Cf。v。479below。
117。Embossed。Anoldhuntingterm。GeorgeTurbervile,inhisNobleArtofVenerieorHunting(A。D。1576),says:"Whenthehartisfoamyatthemouth,wesay,thatheisemboss’d。"Cf。
Shakespeare,T。ofS。ind。1。17:"BrachMerriman,thepoorcur,isemboss’d;"andA。andC。iv。13。3:
"theboarofThessalyWasneversoemboss’d。"
120。SaintHubert’sbreed。ScottquotesTurbervilehere:"ThehoundswhichwecallSaintHubert’shoundsarecommonlyallblacke,yetneuertheless,theraceissomingledatthesedays,thatwefindthemofallcolours。ThesearethehoundswhichtheabbotsofSt。Huberthauealwayskeptsomeoftheirraceorkind,inhonourorremembranceofthesaint,whichwasahunterwithS。
Eustace。Whereuponwemayconceiuethat(bythegraceofGod)
allgoodhuntsmenshallfollowthemintoparadise。"
127。Quarry。Theanimalhunted;anothertechnicalterm。
Shakespeareusesitinthesenseofaheapofslaughteredgame;
asinCor。i。1。202:
"Wouldthenobilitylayasidetheirruth,Andletmeusemysword,I’dmakeaquarryWiththousandsofthesequarter’dslaves,"etc。
Cf。Longfellow,Hiawatha:
"SeldomstoopsthesoaringvultureO’erhisquarryinthedesert。"
130。Stock。Tree—stump。Cf。Job,xiv。8。
133。Turntobay。Likestandatbay,etc。,atermusedwhenthestag,driventoextremity,turnsroundandfaceshispursuers。
Cf。Shakespeare,1。Hen。VI。iv。2。52,whereitisusedfiguratively(asinvi。525below):
"Turnonthebloodyhoundswithheadsofsteel,Andmakethecowardsstandaloofatbay;"
andT。ofS。v。2。56:"’Tisthoughtyourdeerdoesholdyouatabay,"etc。
137。Forthedeath—wound,etc。Scotthasthefollowingnotehere:"Whenthestagturnedtobay,theancienthunterhadtheperiloustaskofgoinginupon,andkillingordisabling,thedesperateanimal。Atcertaintimesoftheyearthiswasheldparticularlydangerous,awoundreceivedfromastag’shornbeingthendeemedpoisonous,andmoredangerousthanonefromthetusksofaboar,astheoldrhymetestifies:
’Ifthoubehurtwithhart,itbringtheetothybier,Butbarber’shandwillboar’shurtheal,thereforethouneed’stnotfear。’
Atalltimes,however,thetaskwasdangerous,andtobeadventureduponwiselyandwarily,eitherbygettingbehindthestagwhilehewasgazingonthehounds,orbywatchinganopportunitytogalloproundlyinuponhim,andkillhimwiththesword。SeemanydirectionstothispurposeintheBookeofHunting,chap。41。Wilson,thehistorian,hasrecordedaprovidentialescapewhichbefellhiminthehazardoussport,whileayouth,andfolloweroftheEarlofEssex:
’SirPeterLee,ofLime,inCheshire,invitedmylordonesummertohuntthestagg。Andhavingagreatstagginchase,andmanygentlemeninthepursuit,thestagtooksoyle。Anddivers,whereofIwasone,alighted,andstoodwithswordsdrawne,tohaveacutathim,athiscomingoutofthewater。Thestaggstherebeingwonderfullyfierceanddangerous,madeusyouthsmoreeagertobeathim。Butheescapedusall。Anditwasmymisfortunetobehinderedofmycomingnerehim,thewaybeingsliperie,byafalle;whichgaveoccasiontosome,whodidnotknowmee,tospeakasifIhadfalneforfeare。Whichbeingtoldmee,Ileftthestagg,andfollowedthegentlemanwho[first]
spakeit。ButIfoundhimofthatcoldtemper,thatitseemshiswordsmadeanescapefromhim;asbyhisdenialandrepentanceitappeared。Butthismademeemoreviolentinthepursuitofthestagg,torecovermyreputation。AndIhappenedtobetheonlyhorsemanin,whenthedogssetthimupatbay;andapproachingnearhimonhorsebacke,hebrokethroughthedogs,andrunatmee,andtoremyhorse’ssidewithhishornes,closebymythigh。
ThenIquittedmyhorse,andgrewmorecunning(forthedogshadsettehimupagaine),stealingbehindhimwithmysword,andcuthishamstrings;andthengotuponhisback,andcuthisthroate;
which,asIwasdoing,thecompanycamein,andblamedmyrashnessforrunningsuchahazard’(Peck’sDesiderataCuriosa,ii。464)。"
138。Whinyard。Ashortstoutswordorknife;thesameasthewhingeroftheLayofLastMinstrel,v。7:
"Andwhingers,nowinfriendshipbareThesocialmealtopartandshare,Hadfoundabloodysheath。"
142。Turnedhim。InElizabethan,andstillmoreinearlierEnglish,personalpronounswereoftenusedreflexively;andthis,likemanyotheroldconstructions,isstillusedinpoetry。
145。Trosachs。"Theroughorbristledterritory"(Graham);thewilddistrictbetweenLochsKatrineandVennachar。ThenameisnowespeciallyappliedtothepassbetweenLochsKatrineandAchray。
147。Closecouched。Thatis,ashelayclosecouched,orhidden。Suchellipsesarecommoninpoetry。
150。Amain。Withmain,orfullforce。Westillsay"withmightandmain。"
151。Chiding。Notamerefigurativeuseofchideaswenowunderstandit(cf。287below),butanexampleoftheoldsenseofthewordasappliedtoanyoft—repeatednoise。ShakespeareusesitofthebarkingofdogsinM。N。D。iv。1。120:
"neverdidIhearSuchgallantchiding;"
ofthewind,asinA。Y。L。ii。1。7:"Andchurlishchidingofthewinter’swind;"andofthesea,asin1Hen。IV。iii。1。45:
"theseaThatchidesthebanksofEngland;"
andHen。VIII。iii。2。197:"thechidingflood。"
163。ThebanksofSeine。JamesvisitedFrancein1536,andsuedforthehandofMagdalen,daughterofFrancisI。Hemarriedherthefollowingspring,butshediedafewmonthslater。HethenmarriedMaryofGuise,whomhehaddoubtlessseenwhileinFrance。
166。Woeworththechase。Thatis,woebetoit。ThisworthisfromtheA。S。weorthan,tobecome。Cf。Spenser,F。Q。ii。6。
32:
"Woworththeman,ThatfirstdidteachthecursedsteeletobightInhisowneflesh,andmakewaytothelivingspright!"
SeealsoEzek。xxx。2。
180。Andonthehunter,etc。TheMS。reads:
"Andonthehunterhiedhispace,Tomeetsomecomradesofthechase;"
andthe1sted。retains"pace"and"chase。"
184。Thewesternwaves,etc。ThisdescriptionoftheTrosachswaswrittenamidthesceneryitdelineates,inthesummerof1809。TheQuarterlyReview(May,1810)saysofthepoet:"Heseeseverythingwithapainter’seye。Whateverherepresentshasacharacterofindividuality,andisdrawnwithanaccuracyandminutenessofdiscriminationwhichwearenotaccustomedtoexpectfrommereverbaldescription。ItisbecauseMr。Scottusuallydelineatesthoseobjectswithwhichheisperfectlyfamiliarthathistouchissoeasy,correct,andanimated。Therocks,theravines,andthetorrentswhichheexhibitsarenottheimperfectsketchesofahurriedtraveller,butthefinishedstudiesofaresidentartist。"Seealsoon278below。
Ruskin(ModernPainters,iii。278)refersto"theloveofcolor"
asaleadingelementinScott’sloveofbeauty。Hemighthavequotedthepresentpassageamongtheillustrationsheadds。
195。Thenativebulwarks,etc。TheMS。has"Themimiccastlesofthepass。"
196。Thetower,etc。Cf。Gen。xi。1—9。
198。Therocky。The1sted。has"Theirrocky,"etc。
204。Norwere,etc。TheMS。reads:"Norwerethesemightybulwarksbare。"
208。Dewdropsheen。Not"dewdropssheen,"or"dewdrops’sheen,"
assometimesprinted。Sheen=shining,bright;asinv。10
below。Cf。Spenser,F。Q。ii。1。10:"Sofaireandsheene;"Id。
iii。4。51:"intopofheavensheene,"etc。SeeWb。TheMS。hashere:"Brightglisteningwiththedewdropsheen。"
212。Boon。Bountiful。Cf。Milton,P。L。iv。242:
"FlowersworthyofParadise,whichnotniceartInbedsandcuriousknots,butnatureboonPour’dforthprofuseonhill,anddale,andplain。"
SeealsoP。L。ix。793:"jocundandboon。"
217。Bower。Intheoldsenseofchamber,lodging—place;asiniv。413andvi。218below。Cf。Spenser,F。Q。iii。1。58:
"EftesooneslongwaxentorcheswerenlightUntotheirbowrestoguydeneveryguest。"
Forclift(=cleft),thereadingofthe1sted。andunquestionablywhatScottwrote,everyothereditionthatwehaveseenreads"cliff。"
219。Emblemsofpunishmentandpride。Seeoniii。19below。
222,223。Notetheimperfectrhymeinbreathandbeneath。Cf。
224—25,256—57,435—36,445—46below。SuchinstancesarecomparativelyrareinScott’spoetry。SomerhymesthatappeartobeimperfectaretobeexplainedbypeculiaritiesofScottishpronunciation。Seeon363below。
227。Shaltered。TheMS。has"scathed;"also"ruggedarmsathwartthesky"in229,and"twinkling"forglisteningin231。
The1sted。has"scattered"forshattered;correctedintheErrata。
231。Streamers。Ofivyorothervines。
238。Affording,etc。TheMS。reads:
"AffordingscarcesuchbreadthoffloodAsservedtofloatthewild—duck’sbrood。"
247。Emerging,etc。TheMS。has"Emergingdry—shodfromthewood。"
254。Andnow,toissuefromtheglen,etc。"UntilthepresentroadwasmadethroughtheromanticpasswhichIhavepresumptuouslyattemptedtodescribeintheprecedingstanzas,therewasnomodeofissuingoutofthedefilecalledtheTrosachs,exceptingbyasortofladder,composedofthebranchesandrootsoftrees"(Scott)。
263。LochKatrine。InanotetoTheFairMaidofPerth,ScottderivesthenamefromtheCatterans,orHighlandrobbers,thatonceinfestedtheshoresofthelake。Othersmakeit"theLakeoftheBattle,"inmemoryofsomeprehistoricconflict。
267。Livelier。Becauseinmotion;likelivinggoldabove。
270。Benvenue。Seeon97above。
271。Downto。Mosteditionsmisprint"downon。"
272。Confusedly。Atrisyllable;asinii。161below,andintheLay,iii。337:"Andhelmsandplumes,confusedlytossed。"
274。Wildering。Bewildering。Cf。Dryden,Aurungzebe,i。1:
"wilder’dintheway,"etc。Seealso434andv。22below。
275。Hisruinedsides,etc。TheMS。reads:
"Hisruinedsidesandfragmentshoar,Whileonthenorthtomiddleair。"
277。Ben—an。Thismountain,1800feethigh,isnorthoftheTrosachs,separatingthatpassfromGlenfinlas。
278。Fromthesteep,etc。TheMS。reads:
"FromthehighpromontorygazedThestranger,awe—struckandamazed。"
TheCriticalReview(Aug。1820)remarksofthisportionofthepoem(184fol。):"Perhapstheartoflandscape—paintinginpoetryhasneverbeendisplayedinhigherperfectionthaninthesestanzas,towhichrigidcriticismmightpossiblyobjectthatthepictureissomewhattoominute,andthatthecontemplationofitdetainsthetravellersomewhattoolongfromthemainpurposeofhispilgrimage,butwhichitwouldbeanactofthegreatestinjusticetobreakintofragmentsandpresentbypiecemeal。Notsothemagnificentscenewhichburstsuponthebewilderedhunterasheemergesatlengthfromthedell,andcommandsatoneviewthebeautifulexpanseofLochKatrine。"
281。Churchman。Initsoldsenseofoneholdinghighofficeinthechurch。Cf。Shakespeare,2Hen。VI。i。3。72,whereCardinalBeaufortiscalled"theimperiouschurchman,"etc。
285。Cloister。Monastery;originally,thecoveredwalkaroundtheinnercourtofthebuilding。
287。Chide。Here,figuratively,inthemodernsense。Seein151above。
290。Shouldlave。The1sted。has"didlave,"whichisperhapstobepreferred。
294。Whilethedeeppeal’s。Forthemeasure,seeon73above。
300。Tofriendlyfeast,etc。TheMS。has"Tohospitablefeastandhall。"
302。Beshrew。Mayevilbefall(seeonshrewdly,84above);amildimprecation,oftenusedplayfullyandeventenderly。Cf。
Shakespeare,2Hen。IV。ii。3。45:
"Beshrewyourheart,Fairdaughter,youdodrawmyspiritsfrommeWithnewlamentingancientoversights!"
305。Somemossybank,etc。TheMS。reads:
"AndhollowtrunkofsomeoldtreeMychamberforthenightmustbe。"
313。Highlandplunderers。"TheclanswhoinhabitedtheromanticregionsintheneighborhoodofLochKatrinewere,evenuntilalateperiod,muchaddictedtopredatoryexcursionsupontheirLowlandneighbors"(Scott)。
317。Falltheworst。Iftheworstbefallthatcanhappen。Cf。
Shakespeare,M。ofV。i。2。96:"antheworstfallthateverfell,IhopeIshallmakeshifttogowithouthim。"
319。Butscarceagain,etc。TheMS。reads:
"Thebugleshrillagainhewound,Andlo!forthstartingatthesound;"
andbelow:
"Alittleskiffshottothebay。
Thehunterlefthisairystand,Andwhentheboathadtouchedthesand,Concealedhestoodamidthebrake,ToviewthisLadyoftheLake。"
336。Strain。The1sted。hasacommaafterstrain,andaperiodafterartin340。Theed。of1821pointsasinthetext。
342。Naiad。Waternymph。
343。Andne’erdidGrecianchisel,etc。TheMS。reads:
"Afinerform,afairerface,HadnevermarbleNymphorGrace,ThatboaststheGrecianchisel’strace;"
andin359below,"astrangertongue。"