Mr. Stuart on Melrose. 147 



by a last thought, for we know that he gave it in charge to the 

 good Sir James Douglas, that he should bear his heart to the Holy- 

 Land, whither he had formerly meditated a pilgrimage in expi- 

 ation of his early sacrilege in the slaughter of the Eed Comyn in 

 the church of the Minor Friars at Dumfries. The history of that 

 gallant heart will not be forgotten, which records that the good 

 Sir James, in pursuance of his promise to the dying King, set out 

 with his precious treasure, in company mth a noble cavalcade, to 

 bear it to Palestine, but learning that a war was going on between 

 the Christians, under Alonzo King of Leon, and the unbelieving 

 Moors, in Granada, he diverged thither, in order to signalize his 

 prowess against the Saracens. In his first attack, after the defeat 

 of the Moorish cavalry, the impetuosity of Douglas carried him 

 away from his friends, when he was surrounded by the Moors and 

 overpowered. Finding this, he took from his neck the casket 

 which contained the heart of Bruce, exclaiming "now pass on- 

 ward as thou wert wont, and Douglas will follow thee or die." 

 They were his last words. On the following day the body and 

 the casket were both found on the field. It is said that both were 

 brought home, the body of Douglas to repose among the ashes of 

 his ancestors in the church of St. Bride, in the little dark vale of 

 Douglas, and the heart of his Sovereign to lie in the stately Monas- 

 tery of Melrose, according to the original design of the King. 



This must have been before the present building was completed, 

 the work of which was commenced in 1326, and which is in the 

 Decorated Style of the period. It has been asserted that some parts 

 of the building date from the time of James lY. and perhaps we 

 may find traces of something approaching to the Perpendicular 

 Style of that period (rare as it is in Scotland) in the great east 

 window, which is 37 feet in height and 16 in breadth. Sir "Walter 

 Scott's description of this great window will readily occur as both 

 true and beautiful. The church is almost the only remaining part 

 of the Monastery, and it is greatly ruined. The west end of the 

 nave is gone, but from the extremity of the nave now remaining 

 to the end of the chancel it measures about 250 feet. The tran- 

 septs measure from one extreme to the other 115 feet, and the 

 breadth of the nave and side aisles is 69 feet within the walls. 



The nave has a narrow lofty north aisle, and a double south 

 aisle, the outer one being much lower than the inner, and divided 

 into eight chapels running the whole length of the nave. There 

 is a buttress betwixt each window, which terminates in a pinnacle, 

 and from these spring flying buttresses over the roof of the side 

 aisle for the support of the main waU of the nave. Every part of 

 the ruin bears marks of the Decorated sculptures, which have been 

 more numerous or better preserved on the face of the south tran- 

 sept than elsewhere, and the delicacy of which may be traced in 

 the doorway leading from the north transept to the ruined cloisters. 

 The grotesque figures and clusters of plants and flowers which 

 occur in various places are worthy of study. Among the latter 

 are lilies, ferns, grapes, leeks, oak leaves with acorns, palms, 

 hollies, and fir cones. 



