第 29 节
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曾氏六合网 更新:2021-02-27 01:39 字数:9322
Several open attempts were made to rescue James from this thraldom; with which he was well known to be deeply disgusted; but the valor of the Douglases; and their allies; gave them the victory in every conflict。 At length; the king; while residing at Falkland; contrived to escape by night out of his own court and palace; and rode full speed to Stirling Castle; where the governor; who was of the opposite faction; joyfully received him。 Being thus at liberty; James speedily summoned around him such peers as he knew to be most inimical to the domination of Angus; and laid his complaint before them; says Pitscottie; 'with great lamentations: showing to them how he was holding in subjection; thir years bygone; by the Earl of Angus; and his kin and friends; who oppressed the whole country; and spoiled it; under the pretence of justice and his authority; and had slain many of his lieges; kinsmen; and friends; because they would have had it mended at their hands; and put him at liberty; as he ought to have been; at the counsel of his whole lords; and not have been subjected and corrected with no particular men; by the rest of his nobles: Therefore; said he; I desire; my lords; that I may be satisfied of the said earl; his kin; and friends; for I avow; that Scotland shall not hold us both; while 'i。e。 till' I be revenged on him and his。
'The lords hearing the king's complaint and lamentation; and also the great rage; fury; and malice; that he bure toward the Earl of Angus; his kin and friends; they concluded all and thought it best; that he should be summoned to underly the law; if he fand not caution; nor yet compear himself; that he should be put to the horn; with all his kin and friends; so many as were contained in the letters。 And further; the lords ordained; by advice of his majesty; that his brother and friends should be summoned to find caution to underly the law within a certain day; or else be put to the horn。 But the earl appeared not; nor none for him; and so he was put to the horn; with all his kin and friends: so many as were contained in the summons; that compeared not; were banished; and holden traitors to the king。'〃
159。 From Tweed to Spey。 From the Tweed; the southern boundary of Scotland; to the Spey; a river far to the north in Inverness… shire; that is; from one end of the land to the other。
170。 Reave。 Tear away。 The participle reft is still used; at least in poetry。 Cf。 Shakespeare; V。 and A。 766: 〃Or butcher… sire that reaves his son of life〃 (that is; bereaves); Spenser; F。 Q。 i。 3。 36: 〃He to him lept; in minde to reave his life;〃 Id。 ii。 8。 15: 〃I will him reave of arms;〃 etc。
178。 It drinks; etc。 The MS。 has 〃No blither dewdrop cheers the rose。〃
195; 196。 To see 。。。 dance。 This couplet is not in the MS。
200。 The Lady of the Bleeding Heart。 The bleeding heart was the cognizance of the Douglas family。 Robert Bruce; on his death… bed; bequeathed his heart to his friend; the good Lord James; to be borne in war against the Saracens。 〃He joined Alphonso; King of Leon and Castile; then at war with the Moorish chief Osurga; of Granada; and in a keen contest with the Moslems he flung before him the casket containing the precious relic; crying out; 'Onward as thou wert wont; thou noble heart; Douglas will follow thee。' Douglas was slain; but his body was recovered; and also the precious casket; and in the end Douglas was laid with his ancestors; and the heart of Bruce deposited in the church of Melrose Abbey〃 (Burton's Hist。 of Scotland)。
201。 Fair。 The 1st ed。 (and probably the MS。; though not noted by Lockhart) has 〃Gay。〃
203。 Yet is this; etc。 The MS。 and 1st ed。 read:
〃This mossy rock; my friend; to me Is worth gay chair and canopy。〃
205。 Footstep。 The reading of the 1st and other early eds。; 〃footsteps〃 in recent ones。
206。 Strathspey。 A Highland dance; which takes its name from the strath; or broad valley; of the Spey (159 above)。
213。 Clan…Alpine's pride。 〃The Siol Alpine; or race of Alpine; includes several clans who claimed descent from Kenneth McAlpine; an ancient king。 These are the Macgregors; the Grants; the Mackies; the Mackinnans; the MacNabs; the MacQuarries; and the Macaulays。 Their common emblem was the pine; which is now confined to the Macgregors〃 (Taylor)。
214。 Loch Lomond。 This beautiful lake; 〃the pride of Scottish lakes;〃 is about 23 miles in length and 5 miles in its greatest breadth。 At the southern end are many islands; one of which; Inch…Cailliach (the Island of Women; so called from a nunnery that was once upon it); was the burial…place of Clan…Alpine。 See iii。 191 below。
216。 A Lennox foray。 That is; a raid in the lands of the Lennox family; bordering on the southern end of Loch Lomond。 On the island of Inch…Murrin; the ruins of Lennox Castle; formerly a residence of the Earls of Lennox; are still to be seen。 There was another of their strongholds on the shore of the lake near Balloch; where the modern Balloch Castle now stands。
217。 Her glee。 The 1st ed。 misprints 〃his glee;〃 not noted in the Errata。
220。 Black Sir Roderick。 Roderick Dhu; or the Black; as he was called。
221。 In Holy…Rood a knight he slew。 That is; in Holyrood Palace。 〃This was by no means an uncommon occurrence in the Court of Scotland; nay; the presence of the sovereign himself scarcely restrained the ferocious and inveterate feuds which were the perpetual source of bloodshed among the Scottish nobility〃 (Scott)。
223。 Courtiers give place; etc。 The MS。 reads:
〃Courtiers give place with heartless stride Of the retiring homicide。〃
227。 Who else; etc。 The MS。 has the following couplet before this line:
〃Who else dared own the kindred claim That bound him to thy mother's name?〃
229。 The Douglas; etc。 Scott says here: 〃The exiled state of this powerful race is not exaggerated in this and subsequent passages。 The hatred of James against the race of Douglas was so inveterate; that numerous as their allies were; and disregarded as the regal authority had usually been in similar cases; their nearest friends; even in the most remote part of Scotland; durst not entertain them; unless under the strictest and closest disguise。 James Douglas; son of the banished Earl of Angus; afterwards well known by the title of Earl of Morton; lurked; during the exile of his family; in the north of Scotland; under the assumed name of James Innes; otherwise James the Grieve (i。e。 reve or bailiff)。 'And as he bore the name;' says Godscroft; 'so did he also execute the office of a grieve or overseer of the lands and rents; the corn and cattle of him with whom he lived。' From the habits of frugality and observation which he acquired in his humble situation; the historian traces that intimate acquaintance with popular character which enabled him to rise so high in the state; and that honorable economy by which he repaired and established the shattered estates of Angus and Morton (History of the House of Douglas; Edinburgh; 1743; vol。 ii。 p。 160)。〃
235。 Guerdon。 Reward; now rarely used except in poetry。 Cf。 Spenser; F。 Q。 i。 10。 59: 〃That glory does to them for guerdon graunt;〃 etc。
236。 Dispensation。 As Roderick and Ellen were cousins; they could not marry without a dispensation from the Pope。
251。 Orphan。 Referring to child; not to she; as its position indicates。
254。 Shrouds。 Shields; protects。 Cf。 Spenser; F。 Q。 i。 1。 6: 〃And this faire couple eke to shroud themselves were fain〃 (that is; from the rain)。 So the noun = shelter; protection; as in Shakespeare; A。 and C。 iii。 13。 71: 〃put yourself under his shroud;〃 etc。 See also on 757 below。
260。 Maronnan's cell。 〃The parish of Kilmaronock; at the eastern extremity of Loch Lomond; derives its name from a cell; or chapel; dedicated to Saint Maronock; or Marnock; or Maronnan; about whose sanctity very little is now remembered〃 (Scott)。 Kill = cell; as in Colmekill (Macb。 ii。 4。 33); 〃the cell of Columba;〃 now known as Icolmkill; or Iona。
270。 Bracklinn's thundering wave。 This beautiful cascade is on the Keltie; a mile from Callander。 The height of the fall is about fifty feet。 〃A few years ago a marriage party of Lowland peasants met with a tragic end here; two of them having tumbled into the broken; angry waters; where they had no more chance of life than if they had dropped into the crater of Hecla〃 (Black)。
271。 Save。 Unless; here followed by the subjunctive。
274。 Claymore。 The word means 〃a large sword〃 (Gaelic claidheamh; sword; and more; great)。
294。 Shadowy plaid and sable plume。 Appropriate to Roderick Dhu。 See on 220 above。
303。 Woe the while。 Woe be to the time; alas the time! Cf。 Shakespeare; J。 C。 i。 3。 82: 〃But; woe the while! our fathers' minds are dead;〃 etc。 See also on i。 166 above。
306。 Tine…man。 〃Archibald; the third Earl of Douglas; was so unfortunate in all his enterprises; that he acquired the epithet of 'tine…man;' because he tined; or lost; his followers in every battle which he fought。 He was vanquished; as every reader must remember; in the bloody battle of Homildon…hill; near Wooler; where he himself lost an eye; and was mad