CHAPTER VIII 



" Of Scotland well, the friers of Faill, 



The limmery lang hes lastit ; 

 The monks o' Melros' made guid kaill 

 On Fridays when they fastit." 



Spec. Godly Songs, page 87. 



IN rambling by Tweedside one never loses sight of 

 the Eildon Hills within many miles of Melrose, 

 which, together with the river and abbey, are the 

 dominant features of the country. 



Of the legend touching them there are two 

 versions ; the poetical one given us in The Lay of 

 the Last Minstrel, 



" And, warrior, I could say to thee 

 The words that clove Eildon Hills in three, 11 



comes, as all the world knows, from a very high 

 authority; and, besides being extremely probable 

 in itself, has good classical conformity to the 

 magician in Ariosto, who produced marvellous 

 visions in the air which astounded the beholder ; 

 but he having a glass given him by a more 

 powerful enchanter, which enabled him to see 

 things in their true semblance, saw only the 

 magician sitting on a cloud, reading his book ; 



o 



