26 Antiquities of Eskdalemxtie. 



had been " hand fasted." You perhaps know that the children 

 born under the hand fasting eng-agement were reckoned lawful 

 children and were not bastards, though the parents did afterwards 

 resile. This custom of " hand fasting " does not seem to have 

 been peculiar to our parish, for there are instances of its having 

 prevailed elsewhere. Mention is made in some Histories of Scot- 

 land that Eobert II. was hand fasted to Elizabeth More before he 

 married Euphemia Eoss, daughter of Hugh, Earl of that name, by 

 both of whom he had children. And his eldest son John, by 

 Elizabeth More, his "hand fasted" wife, («.e.) King Robert III., 

 commonly called Jock Ferngzear, succeeded to the throne, in 

 preference to the sons of Euphemia, his maiTied wife. Indeed, 

 after Euphemia's death, he married his former hand fasted wife 

 Elizabeth More. 



Now before closing allow me to make a single remark in 

 connection with this whole question. I confess that it has more 

 than once occurred to me that there is a singular correspondence 

 between the site selected for these " hand fasting " contracts and 

 the contracts themselves. Perhaps this may be accounted for in 

 the following way, which I have seen nowhere stated, and is there- 

 fore simply a suggestion of my own which I throw off for your 

 consideration. The site selected for these " hand fasting " 

 ceremonies is (as you may know) the tongue of land which is 

 hemmed in by the Black and the White Esks. These streams, 

 starting from their separate springs and pursuing tlieir separate 

 courses, gradually ajjproach nearer and nearer until at last their 

 waters commingle, and they become one stream. Does not this fact 

 in outward nature observable to all who have eyes to behold it — 

 the separation and then ultimate union of these two streams — but 

 typify and set forth the separate and individual lives of two human 

 beings until they too are joined together and made one flesh ? 



There is something of this idea surely suggested in the 

 following beautiful lines, which, methinks, would not be inappro- 

 priate in the mouth of a youthful swain addressing the rustic 

 maiden with whom he was about to be " hand fasted " after the 

 old fashion long since passed away : 



" Nothing in this world is single ; 

 All things by a law Divine 

 In one another's being mingle, 

 Why not I with thine ? 



