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the lady of the lake-第29节

小说: the lady of the lake 字数: 每页4000字

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  Several open attempts were made to rescue James from this thraldom; with which he was well known to be deeply disgusted; but the valor of the Douglases; and their allies; gave them the victory in every conflict。  At length; the king; while residing at Falkland; contrived to escape by night out of his own court and palace; and rode full speed to Stirling Castle; where the governor; who was of the opposite faction; joyfully received him。  Being thus at liberty; James speedily summoned around him such peers as he knew to be most inimical to the domination of Angus; and laid his complaint before them; says Pitscottie; 'with great lamentations: showing to them how he was holding in subjection; thir years bygone; by the Earl of Angus; and his kin and friends; who oppressed the whole country; and spoiled it; under the pretence of justice and his authority; and had slain many of his lieges; kinsmen; and friends; because they would have had it mended at their hands; and put him at liberty; as he ought to have been; at the counsel of his whole lords; and not have been subjected and corrected with no particular men; by the rest of his nobles: Therefore; said he; I desire; my lords; that I may be satisfied of the said earl; his kin; and friends; for I avow; that Scotland shall not hold us both; while 'i。e。 till' I be revenged on him and his。

'The lords hearing the king's complaint and lamentation; and also the great rage; fury; and malice; that he bure toward the Earl of Angus; his kin and friends; they concluded all and thought it best; that he should be summoned to underly the law; if he fand not caution; nor yet compear himself; that he should be put to the horn; with all his kin and friends; so many as were contained in the letters。  And further; the lords ordained; by advice of his majesty; that his brother and friends should be summoned to find caution to underly the law within a certain day; or else be put to the horn。 But the earl appeared not; nor none for him; and so he was put to the horn; with all his kin and friends: so many as were contained in the summons; that compeared not; were banished; and holden traitors to the king。'〃


159。  From Tweed to Spey。  From the Tweed; the southern boundary of Scotland; to the Spey; a river far to the north in Inverness… shire; that is; from one end of the land to the other。


170。  Reave。  Tear away。  The participle reft is still used; at least in poetry。  Cf。 Shakespeare; V。 and A。 766: 〃Or butcher… sire that reaves his son of life〃 (that is; bereaves); Spenser; F。 Q。 i。 3。 36: 〃He to him lept; in minde to reave his life;〃 Id。 ii。 8。 15: 〃I will him reave of arms;〃 etc。


178。  It drinks; etc。  The MS。 has 〃No blither dewdrop cheers the rose。〃


195; 196。  To see 。。。 dance。  This couplet is not in the MS。


200。  The Lady of the Bleeding Heart。  The bleeding heart was the cognizance of the Douglas family。  Robert Bruce; on his death… bed; bequeathed his heart to his friend; the good Lord James; to be borne in war against the Saracens。  〃He joined Alphonso; King of Leon and Castile; then at war with the Moorish chief Osurga; of Granada; and in a keen contest with the Moslems he flung before him the casket containing the precious relic; crying out; 'Onward as thou wert wont; thou noble heart; Douglas will follow thee。'  Douglas was slain; but his body was recovered; and also the precious casket; and in the end Douglas was laid with his ancestors; and the heart of Bruce deposited in the church of Melrose Abbey〃 (Burton's Hist。 of Scotland)。


201。  Fair。  The 1st ed。 (and probably the MS。; though not noted by Lockhart) has 〃Gay。〃


203。  Yet is this; etc。  The MS。 and 1st ed。 read:

    〃This mossy rock; my friend; to me      Is worth gay chair and canopy。〃


205。  Footstep。  The reading of the 1st and other early eds。; 〃footsteps〃 in recent ones。


206。  Strathspey。  A Highland dance; which takes its name from the strath; or broad valley; of the Spey (159 above)。


213。  Clan…Alpine's pride。  〃The Siol Alpine; or race of Alpine; includes several clans who claimed descent from Kenneth McAlpine; an ancient king。  These are the Macgregors; the Grants; the Mackies; the Mackinnans; the MacNabs; the MacQuarries; and the Macaulays。 Their common emblem was the pine; which is now confined to the Macgregors〃 (Taylor)。


214。  Loch Lomond。  This beautiful lake; 〃the pride of Scottish lakes;〃 is about 23 miles in length and 5 miles in its greatest breadth。  At the southern end are many islands; one of which; Inch…Cailliach (the Island of Women; so called from a nunnery that was once upon it); was the burial…place of Clan…Alpine。  See iii。 191 below。


216。  A Lennox foray。  That is; a raid in the lands of the Lennox family; bordering on the southern end of Loch Lomond。  On the island of Inch…Murrin; the ruins of Lennox Castle; formerly a residence of the Earls of Lennox; are still to be seen。  There was another of their strongholds on the shore of the lake near Balloch; where the modern Balloch Castle now stands。


217。  Her glee。  The 1st ed。 misprints 〃his glee;〃 not noted in the Errata。


220。  Black Sir Roderick。  Roderick Dhu; or the Black; as he was called。


221。  In Holy…Rood a knight he slew。  That is; in Holyrood Palace。 〃This was by no means an uncommon occurrence in the Court of Scotland; nay; the presence of the sovereign himself scarcely restrained the ferocious and inveterate feuds which were the perpetual source of bloodshed among the Scottish nobility〃 (Scott)。


223。  Courtiers give place; etc。  The MS。 reads:

    〃Courtiers give place with heartless stride      Of the retiring homicide。〃


227。  Who else; etc。  The MS。 has the following couplet before this line:

    〃Who else dared own the kindred claim      That bound him to thy mother's name?〃


229。  The Douglas; etc。  Scott says here: 〃The exiled state of this powerful race is not exaggerated in this and subsequent passages。 The hatred of James against the race of Douglas was so inveterate; that numerous as their allies were; and disregarded as the regal authority had usually been in similar cases; their nearest friends; even in the most remote part of Scotland; durst not entertain them; unless under the strictest and closest disguise。  James Douglas; son of the banished Earl of Angus; afterwards well known by the title of Earl of Morton; lurked; during the exile of his family; in the north of Scotland; under the assumed name of James Innes; otherwise James the Grieve (i。e。 reve or bailiff)。  'And as he bore the name;' says Godscroft; 'so did he also execute the office of a grieve or overseer of the lands and rents; the corn and cattle of him with whom he lived。'  From the habits of frugality and observation which he acquired in his humble situation; the historian traces that intimate acquaintance with popular character which enabled him to rise so high in the state; and that honorable economy by which he repaired and established the shattered estates of Angus and Morton (History of the House of Douglas; Edinburgh; 1743; vol。 ii。 p。 160)。〃


235。  Guerdon。  Reward; now rarely used except in poetry。 Cf。 Spenser; F。 Q。 i。 10。 59: 〃That glory does to them for guerdon graunt;〃 etc。


236。  Dispensation。  As Roderick and Ellen were cousins; they could not marry without a dispensation from the Pope。


251。  Orphan。  Referring to child; not to she; as its position indicates。


254。  Shrouds。  Shields; protects。  Cf。 Spenser; F。 Q。 i。 1。 6: 〃And this faire couple eke to shroud themselves were fain〃 (that is; from the rain)。  So the noun = shelter; protection; as in Shakespeare; A。 and C。 iii。 13。 71: 〃put yourself under his shroud;〃 etc。  See also on 757 below。


260。  Maronnan's cell。  〃The parish of Kilmaronock; at the eastern extremity of Loch Lomond; derives its name from a cell; or chapel; dedicated to Saint Maronock; or Marnock; or Maronnan; about whose sanctity very little is now remembered〃 (Scott)。  Kill = cell; as in Colmekill (Macb。 ii。 4。 33); 〃the cell of Columba;〃 now known as Icolmkill; or Iona。


270。  Bracklinn's thundering wave。  This beautiful cascade is on the Keltie; a mile from Callander。  The height of the fall is about fifty feet。  〃A few years ago a marriage party of Lowland peasants met with a tragic end here; two of them having tumbled into the broken; angry waters; where they had no more chance of life than if they had dropped into the crater of Hecla〃 (Black)。


271。  Save。  Unless; here followed by the subjunctive。


274。  Claymore。  The word means 〃a large sword〃 (Gaelic claidheamh; sword; and more; great)。


294。  Shadowy plaid and sable plume。  Appropriate to Roderick Dhu。 See on 220 above。


303。  Woe the while。  Woe be to the time; alas the time! Cf。 Shakespeare; J。 C。 i。 3。 82: 〃But; woe the while! our fathers' minds are dead;〃 etc。  See also on i。 166 above。


306。  Tine…man。  〃Archibald; the third Earl of Douglas; was so unfortunate in all his enterprises; that he acquired the epithet of 'tine…man;' because he tined; or lost; his followers in every battle which he fought。  He was vanquished; as every reader must remember; in the bloody battle of Homildon…hill; near Wooler; where he himself lost an eye; and was mad

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