Mr. Hardy on the Wolf in Scotland. 271 



in one of his sides, immediately whereupon, whether through 

 anguishe of his hurt, or by some other occasion, he fel into a 

 most filthie disease," viz. pthiarisis.* He died a. d. 668. 

 " Eighteen years did Scotland endure this monster," adds 

 Buchanan. But long previous to this we find a British mon- 

 arch, falling a victim to a wolf; who, since his son as Wyn- 

 toun relates, built both York and Edinburgh, may have 

 reigned over part of Scotland, for aught we know to the con- 

 trary. He was one of the immediate descendants of Brutus, 

 Memprys by name, and no credit to the Locryne race. 



" Hys brothir he si we 



For tyl succede tyl hym as kyng. 

 It happynde syne at a huntyng 

 Wytht wolwys hym to weryde be ; 

 Swa endyit his iniquite." f 



Perhaps Shakspeare is as reliable an authority as any of 

 them, when he depicts Macbeth calling up visions of 



" wither'd Murder 



Alarum'd by his sentinel, the wolf 

 Whose howl's his watch." 



Proper names of persons taken from animals were common 

 among the Anglo-Saxons, as expressive of character, and 

 derivatives from the wolf, such as Ulf, Arnulph, Ceolwulf, 

 were favourites with that fierce people. Among the ancient 

 Scots, a similar kind of symbolic representation preserved the 

 memories of their defunct heroes. It is recorded in '' The 

 Chronicles of Scotland," 2nd Buke, cap. x., "That king 

 Rea'tha," (who lived two centuries before the Christian era,) 

 " was the first king amang the Scottis that fund ingine to 

 put nobillmen for thair vailyeant dedis in memory, and 

 maide riche sepulturis for the bodyis of thaim that was slaine 

 be Britonis in defence of this realme. He commandit als 

 monie hie stanis to be set about the sepulture of everie nobill- 

 man as was slane be him of Britonis. In memorie hereof 

 sindrie of thaim remainis yet in the hielandis. On their 

 sepulturis was ingravin imageris of dragonis, loolfesy and 

 other beistis, for no inventioun of letteris was in thay days 

 to put their deides of nobilmen in memoie." 



Let us now turn to the legends of the saints, which, amidst 



* Ibid. p. 148. " A lupis occisarum ovium pelles pcdiculos procreant." 

 Aristotle cited in Joh. Johnstoni Thaumatographia Naturalis, p. 319. Amster- 

 dam, 1661. Plinii Hist. Nat. 1. xi. c. 33. " The skin of a sheep, devoured by a 

 woolfe, moveth itching." Bacon's Naturall History, Cent. x. p. 213, fol. 1651. 



t "Wyntownis Cronykil, i. p. 54. 



