HEATHER BURNING. 



still seen the traces of fire, but they are nearly hidden 

 by flowers and 



Scott refers to Heather burning in the following 

 lines from "The Lady of the Lake" : 



Not faster o'er thy heathery braes, 

 Balquidder, speeds the midnight blaze, 

 Rushing in conflagration strong 

 Thy deep ravines and dells along, 

 Wrapping thy cliffs in purple glow, 

 And reddening the dark lakes below ; 

 Nor faster speeds it, nor so far, 

 As o'er thy heaths the voice of war. 



Rolfe says this simile is not new to poetry. The 

 charge of a warrior, in the fine ballad of Hardyknute 

 is said to be "like fire to heather set." It may be of 

 interest to state that Hardyknute was the first poem 

 learned by Sir Walter Scott, and the last, he said, he 

 should ever forget. 



Mr. A. G. Reid, in "Notes and Queries" for 

 1896, presents the following interesting item associated 

 with the burning of the Heather: "In the metrical 

 version of the Psalms for use of the Kirk of Scotland, 

 known as that of John Knox, although the greater 

 number of the verses are those of Sternhold and 

 Hopkins, there are, particularly in the latter part, a 

 number of John Craig, William Kethe and other Scots- 

 men. They are marked by initials, but are easily dis- 

 tinguished from their English neighbors by their 

 peculiar orthography and Scotch expression. Under 

 Psalm LXXXIIL, to which are prefaced the initials 

 119 



