of Robert Bruce. 139 



most all the bones, especially the larger ones : but even the 

 OS hyoides was entire, so were some of the cartilages of the 

 larynx, which had been ossified. But all the other cartilages of 

 his body, as well as the ligaments, tendons, and all the softer 

 parts, were completely mouldered into dust. Even the inter- 

 vertebral cartilages were gone ; so that I easily lifted some of 

 the vertebrae and the left humerus, without moving the neigh- 

 bouring bones. The femur too was lifted as easily. It was 

 carefully measured, and found to be 17| inches long; sup- 

 posing it to have been the fourth part of his whole length (the 

 common proportion in a well-made man) his stature must have 

 been 5 feet 10 inches, or at the utmost, 5 feet 11 inches, mak- 

 ing allowance for the want of cartilage at both ends of it. His 

 scull too was of the common size, very well formed, with no 

 peculiarity that 1 could see, except very long styloid processes, 

 by far the largest that I remember ever to have seen. There 

 was not a vestige of encephalon, as I found on putting my 

 middle finger in at the foramen magnum, and turning it round. 

 We found that the sternum had been sawed asunder longitu- 

 dinally from end to end. This, no doubt, had been done imme- 

 diately after his death, according to his own desire, that his 

 heart should be taken out, and carefully embalmed, and sent 

 to Jerusalem to be buried in the Holy Sepulchre. I presume 

 his whole body had been embalmed. A leaden urn, or rather 

 a square leaden box, supposed to have contained his bowels, 

 as it was full of a tallowy, or spermaceti-like matter, was found 

 very near his grave. Some of it was brought away, and given 

 to Dr. Hope, that he might examine it. The King's body had 

 been enclosed in two coverings of thin sheet lead, enwrapping 

 it like a double coat of mail ; had been covered with a robe, or 

 shroud, of cloth of gold ; that is of linen, with gold threads in 

 it. That it was linen, not silk, I ascertained by burning a small 

 bit of it at the flame of a taper, and smelling to it while burning ; 

 it had the smell of linen (or at least of vegetable matter), not the 

 least of the fetor of silk, feathers, or any animal substance. The 

 body had not been put in a leaden coffin, but in a strong oaken 

 one; secured by several strong iron nails, some of which, with a 



