755. Repelled, etc. The MS. has "Their threats repelled by insult loud."768. Hyndford. A village on the Clyde, a few miles above Lanark.
790. Widow's mate expires. An instance of prolepsis, or "anticipation" in the use of a word. He must expire before she can be a widow. Cf. Macbeth, iii. 4. 76:
"Blood hath been shed ere now, i' the olden time, Ere human statute purg'd the gentle weal;"that is, purged it and made it gentle.
794. Ward. Ward off, avert.
796. The crowd's wild fury, etc. The MS. reads:
"The crowd's wild fury ebbed amain In tears, as tempests sink in rain."The 1st ed. reads as in the text, but that of 1821 has "sunk amain."The figure here is a favorite one with Shakespeare. Cf. R. of L.
1788:
"This windy tempest, till it blow up rain, Held back his sorrow's tide, to make it more;At last it rains, and busy winds give o'er;"
3 Hen. VI. i. 4. 146:
"For raging wind blows up incessant showers, And, when the rage allays, the rain begins;"Id. ii. 5. 85:
"see, see, what showers arise, Blown with the windy tempest of my heart;"T. and C. iv. 4. 55: "Where are my tears? rain, to lay this wind, or my heart will be blown up by the root;" and Macbeth, i. 7. 25:
"That tears shall down the wind."
808. The rough soldier. Sir John of Hyndford (768 above).
811. He led. The 1st ed. has "they led," and "their" for his in 813.
812. Verge. Note the rhyme with charge, and see on iv. 83above.
819. This common fool. Cf. Shakespeare's "fool multitude" (M. of V. ii. 9. 26). Just below Lockhart quotes Coriolanus, i. 1.
180:
"Who deserves greatness Deserves your hate; and your affections are A sick man's appetite, who desires most that Which would increase his evil. He that depends Upon your favors swims with fins of lead And hews down oaks with rushes. Hang ye! Trust ye?
With every minute you do change a mind, And call him noble that was now your hate, Him vile that was your garland."821. Douglas. The reading of the 1st ed., as in 825 below; not "Douglas'," as in some recent eds.
830. Vain as the leaf, etc. The MS. has "Vain as the sick man's idle dream."838. Cognizance. "The sable pale of Mar." See on iv. 153above.
853. With scanty train, etc. The MS. has "On distant chase you will not ride."856. Lost it. Forgot it.
858. For spoiling of. For fear of ruining. Cf. Shakespeare, Sonn. 52. 4:
"The which he will not every hour survey, For blunting the fine point of seldom pleasure;T. G. of V. i. 2. 136: "Yet here they shall not lie for catching cold;" Beaumont and Fletcher, Captain, iii. 5: "We'll have a bib for spoiling of thy doublet," etc.
887. Earl William. The Douglas who was stabbed by James II. See on 551 above.
Canto Sixth.
"Lord Jeffrey has objected to the guard-room scene and its accompanying song as the greatest blemish in the whole poem. The scene contrasts forcibly with the grace which characterizes the rest; but in a poem which rests its interest upon incident, such a criticism seems overstrained. It gives us a vigorous picture of a class of men who played a very important part in the history of the time, especially across the Border; men who, many of them outlaws, and fighting, not for country or for king, but for him who paid them best, were humored with every license when they were not on strict military duty. The requirements of the narrative might have been satisfied without these details, it is true; but the use which Sir Walter has made of them--to show the power of beauty and innocence, and the chords of tenderness and goodness which lie ready to vibrate in the wildest natures--may surely reconcile us to such a piece of realism.
"The scene of Roderick's death harmonizes well with his character. The minstrel's account of the battle the poet himself felt to be somewhat long, and yet it is difficult to see how it could be curtailed without spoiling it. It is full of life and vigor, and our only cause of surprise is that the lay should only come to a sudden stand when it is really completed" (Taylor).
6. Scaring, etc. The 1st ed. reads: "And scaring prowling robbers to their den."7. Battled. Battlemented; as in ii. 702 above.
9. The kind nurse of men. Cf. 2 Hen. IV. iii. 1. 5:
"O sleep, O gentle sleep, Nature's soft nurse," etc.
23. Through narrow loop, etc. The MS. has "Through blackened arch," etc.; and below:
"The lights in strange alliance shone Beneath the arch of blackened stone."25. Struggling with. Some recent eds. misprint "struggling through."47. Adventurers they, etc. Scott says: "The Scottish armies consisted chiefly of the nobility and barons, with their vassals, who held lands under them for military service by themselves and their tenants. The patriarchal influence exercised by the heads of clans in the Highlands and Borders was of a different nature, and sometimes at variance with feudal principles. It flowed from the Patria Potestas, exercised by the chieftain as representing the original father of the whole name, and was often obeyed in contradiction to the feudal superior. James V. seems first to have introduced, in addition to the militia furnished from these sources, the service of a small number of mercenaries, who formed a body-guard, called the Foot-Band. The satirical poet, Sir David Lindsay (or the person who wrote the prologue to his play of the Three Estaites), has introduced Finlay of the Foot-Band, who after much swaggering upon the stage is at length put to flight by the Fool, who terrifies him by means of a sheep's skull upon a pole. I have rather chosen to give them the harsh features of the mercenary soldiers of the period, than of this Scottish Thraso. These partook of the character of the Adventurous Companions of Froissart, or the Condottieri of Italy."53. The Fleming, etc. The soil of Flanders is very fertile and productive, in marked contrast to the greater part of Scotland.
60. Halberd. A combination of spear and battle-axe. See Wb.
63. Holytide. Holiday. For tide = time, see on iii. 478 above.
73. Neighboring to. That is, lying in adjacent rooms.
