528 MONTHLY REVIEW OF LITERATURE. 



The dying scene of Ginevra is powerfully worked ; it is full of pathos 

 and will bring tears into the eyes of many of its readers. 



There are also scattered through the volume many bits of genuine 

 Italian and Spanish humour. 



Tales of the Wars of Montrose. By JAMES HOGG, Esq. 3 vols, 

 8vo. Cochrane and Co., London. 



These Tales breathe of the Ettrick Shepherd his tone a little softened, 

 but still retaining all his peculiarities. He comes awkwardly into contact 

 with Scott in one or two instances witness the battle between Monlrose 

 and the Campbells, in the " Legends of Montrose" and we do not think 

 that his more correct history is any equivalent for his deficiency of vigour 

 of description. 



The story "Julia Mackenzie" is well told, and, as illustrative of the old 

 clannish feelings, may be regarded as curious. 



Mr. Hogg's familiarity with the localities in which the action of his 

 tales is placed has enabled him to glean a considerable mass of tradi- 

 tionary matter relative to the wars of Montrose. The pictures he gives of 

 the savage warfare carried on between the royalists and the covenanters 

 are frightful. The termination of the ill-fated battle of Philiphaugh is 

 thus described by the Shepherd: 



'* It is supposed, with some probability, that Lesly was not over-fond of 

 700 desperate men and veterans, bursting upon his ranks, with sharp 

 swords in their hands he therefore said, with a grave face, and his well- 

 known duplicity of character, that he had not the power of granting a free 

 pardon to rebels against the state, but their lives should be spared till 

 they were tried. On this assurance the men yielded, came out of their 

 fold, and piled their arms on each side of the door. They were then put 

 in the dungeon-vault of Newark Castle, until Lesly asked counsel of the 

 Lord, as he termed it. The army assembled in the castle-yard, and 

 joined in singing a psalm of praise and triumph ; and then first one 

 divine, and then another, returned thanks for the victory, and 

 each of them concluding by asking counsel of God concerning 

 the troubles of Israel, now in the hands of his own people. But alas ! 

 they did not ask counsel, but they pronounced judgment. For they 

 alluded in inveterate terms to the torrents of covenanting blood unre- 

 lentingly shed by these cursed sons of Belial, within the last six months ; 

 as also to the destruction of the Amalekites, and of the whole kindred 

 priests and followers of Ahab, by the express command of the Almighty. 



" Thus the men's doom was sealed. They were conducted to a field a 

 little to the eastward of the castle, where they were surrounded by the 

 steel-clad bands of the covenant on foot, and desired to prepare for death, 

 for they had just five minutes to do so. They expostulated vehemently 

 with Lesly on the injustice of the sentence, and charged him on his 

 honour as a soldier to keep his word with them, and grant them a reprieve 

 until they had a fair trial. 



" ' You have been tried already/ said Lesly churlishly, ' and that at a 

 higher tribunal than any on earth : the eternal God hath doomed you to 

 death for wantonly shedding the blood of his saints. You have been all 

 weighed in the balance, and found wanting; and everyone of the mur- 

 dering wretches shall suffer on the spot/ 



" Lesly was as good as his word for these 700 soldiers were all 

 slaughtered on the spot, and left lying till the country people were 

 obliged to bury them in pits some time afterwards. About 500 of them 

 were Irishmen, brave fellows ; and the rest were Highlanders, save a very 

 few Annandalians. The whole of the women, children, and camp at- 



