line 926. The story of Judith and Holofernes is in the Apocrypha.
line 928. See Judges iv.
line 931. St. Antony’s fire is erysipelas.
Stanza XXXII. line 947. This line, omitted in early editions, was supplied by Lockhart from the MS.
Stanza XXXIII. line 973. Tantallon, owing to its position, presents itself suddenly to those approaching it from the south.
line 980. Lockhart annotates thus:-
‘During the regency (subsequent to the death of James V) the Dowager Queen Regent, Mary of Guise, became desirous of putting a French garrison into Tantallon, as she had into Dunbar and Inchkeith, in order the better to bridle the lords and barons, who inclined to the reformed faith, and to secure by citadels the sea-coast of the Frith of Forth. For this purpose, the Regent, to use the phrase of the time “dealed with” the (then) Earl of Angus for his consent to the proposed measure. He occupied himself, while she was speaking, in feeding a falcon which sat upon his wrist, and only replied by addressing the bird, but leaving the Queen to make the application. “The devil is in this greedy gled-she will never be fou.” But when the Queen, without appearing to notice this hint, continued to press her obnoxious request, Angus replied, in the true spirit of a feudal noble, “Yes, Madam, the castle is yours; God forbid else. But by the might of God, Madam!” such was his usual oath, “I must be your Captain and Keeper for you, and I will keep it as well as any you can place there.’“SIR WALTER SCOTT’S
Stanza XXXIV. line 998. Cp. AEneid, IV. 174:-
line 1001. Strongholds in Northumberland, near Flodden.
line 1017. Opposite Flodden, beyond the Till.
line 1032. ‘bated of, diminished. Cp. Timon of Athens, ii. 2. 208:-
INTRODUCTION TO CANTO SIXTH.
Richard Heber (1773-1833) half-brother of Bishop Heber, was for some time M. P. for Oxford University. His large inherited fortune enabled him freely to indulge his love of books, and his, English library of 105,000 volumes cost him L180,000. He had thousands besides on the continent. As a cherished friend of Scott’s he is frequently mentioned in the ‘Life.’ He introduced Leyden to Scott (Life, i. 333, 1837 ed.).
‘Mertoun House, the seat of Hugh Scott, Esq., of Harden, is beautifully situated on the Tweed, about two miles below Dryburgh Abbey.’-LOCKHART.
line 7. ‘The Iol of the heathen Danes (a word still applied to Christmas in Scotland; was solemnized with great festivity. The humour of the Danes at table displayed itself in pelting each other with bones, and Torfaeus tells a long and curious story, in the History of Hrolfe Kraka, of one Hottus, an inmate of the Court of Denmark, who was so generally assailed with these missiles, that he constructed, out of the bones with which he was overwhelmed, a very respectable intrenchment, against those who continued the raillery. The dances of the northern warriors round the great fires of pine-trees, are commemorated by Olaus Magnus, who says, they danced with such fury, holding each other by the hands, that, if the grasp of any failed, he was pitched into the fire with the velocity of a sling. The sufferer, on such occasions, was instantly plucked out, and obliged to quaff off a certain measure of ale, as a penalty for “spoiling the king’s fire.”‘SCOTT.
line 33. Scott, after explaining that in Roman Catholic countries mass is never said at night except on Christmas eve, quotes as illustrative of early celebrations of the festival the names and descriptions of the allegorical characters in Jonson’s ‘Christmas his Masque. ‘The personages are Father Christmas himself and his ten sons and daughters, led in by Cupid. ‘Baby-Cake,’ the youngest child, is misprinted ‘Baby-Cocke in Scott.
line 45. Post and pair, a game at cards, is one of the sons of Father Christmas in Jonson’s Masque. He comes in with ‘a pair-royal of aces in his hat; his garment all done over with pairs and purs;
