"Yet how?-for I, if there be truth In the world's voice, was paffing fair; Those fhocks of paffion can prepare, "Unbleft diftinction! fhowered on me, "A woman rules my prifon's key; Detains me-doubtful of th' event; "Farewell defire of human aid, Which abject mortals vainly court, My burthen to support.' Hark! the death-note of the year Stole forth, unfettled by the fhock; Since Holyrood Palace, by the Act of Union, has been made the place of meeting for the election of the noblemen who represent the peerage of Scotland in the Imperial Parliament, it has been, at different times, yet only for fhort periods, inhabited by the Duke of York, afterwards James II. ; by Prince Charles Stuart; by the Duke of Cumberland; by the King of France from 1795 to 1799; by George IV. on his vifit to Edinburgh in 1822; and by Queen Victoria on her annual journeys to Balmoral in the Highlands. For this purpose a certain suite of rooms, on the fouth fide of the quadrangle, is fitted up. The rooms on the north fide, a hundred and fifty feet in length, contain a long series of portraits of the Scotch monarchs, most of which are as fictitious as they are miserable. Many of them, indeed, are of perfonages who existed before the pictorial art existed in Scotland. There is also an indifferent Queen of Scots. In the room where Rizzio was murdered, you are still shown the traditional ftains of his blood; and the apartments inhabited by Mary ftill contain furniture said to have been in use by her, as well as certain tapestry and embroidery, reported to be the work of herself and her ladies. Melrose Abbey. Summer was on thee-the meridian light And, as we wandered through thy columned aisles, As clomb our steps the lone and lofty stair, Subdued, the former half, the latter quite, Pile of King David, to thine altar's fite, Full many a footstep guides and long shall guide; DAVID MACBETH MOIR. HE foundation of Melrose Abbey generally dates from 1136, when David I. of Scotland, amongst his many fimilar erections, built a church here. But Melrofe, as a seat of religion, boafts a much earlier origin. It was one of those churches, or more properly miffionary stations, which the fathers of Ireland and of Iona spread over Britain and the continent: one of those fimple nuclei of the Chriftian faith, which were in the eleventh and twelfth centuries fo industriously trodden under foot or rooted out by the domineering ambition of Rome. It was in fact a portion of that pure and beautiful British church which exifted prior to the Roman hierarchy in these islands, and of which the profeffors presented in their primitive habits and primitive doctrines so apoftolic a character. The way in which these apoftles of Iona were introduced into this quarter is thus related by Venerable Bede:-"As foon as Oswald, the King of Northumberland, ascended the throne, being defirous that his nation fhould receive the Chriftian faith, whereof he had found happy experience in vanquishing the barbarians, he sent to the elders of the Scots (Irish), amongst whom himself and followers, when in banishment, had received the facrament of baptism, defiring that they would send him a bishop, by whose instruction and ministry the English nation, which he governed, might be taught the advantages and receive the facraments of the Chriftian faith. Nor were they flow in granting his request, but sent him Bishop Aidan, a man of fingular meekness, piety, and moderation; zealous in the cause of God, though not according to knowledge, for he was wont to keep Easter Sunday according to the custom of his country, which we have before so often mentioned from the fourteenth to the twentieth moon,-the northern province of the Scots, and all the nation of the Picts, celebrated Easter then after that manner, and believing that they were following the writings of the holy and praiseworthy Father Anatolius, the truth of which every skilful person can difcern; but the Scots which dwelt in the fouth of Ireland had long fince, by the admonition of the bishop of the Apoftolic fee, learned to obferve Eafter according to the canonical cuftom. "On the arrival of the bishop, the king appointed him his episcopal fee in the ifle of Lindisfarn, as he defired, which place, as the tide flows and ebbs twice a-day, is enclosed by the waves of the fea like an ifland, and again twice in the day MELROSE: FROM THE SOUTH-WEST. when the shore is left dry, become contiguous to the land. The king also, humbly and willingly in all cases giving ear to his admonishers, industriously applied himself to build and extend the Church of Chrift in his kingdom, wherein, when the bishop, not being skilful in the English tongue, preached the gospel, it was most delightful to fee the king himself interpreting the Word of God to his commanders and ministry, for he had perfectly learned the language of the Scots during his long banishment. From that time many of the Scots came daily into Britain, and with great devotion preached the Word |