upon his school-learning) at some particular passage,
bid him cease, and cryed out, "There's nothing like that in Virgil or
Homer." I bowed, and told him I believed so. This you may believe was
very edifying and delightful'" (Scott).

15. Than men, etc. "It is evident that the old bard, with his
second-sight, has a glimmering notion who the stranger is. He speaks
below {311} of 'courtly spy,' and James's speech had betrayed a
knowledge of the Douglas" (Taylor).

20. Battled. The reading of the 1st ed. and that of 1821; "battle" in
most others. Cf. i. 626 above.

22. Where beauty, etc. The MS. has "At tourneys where the brave resort."
The reference is to the tournaments, "Where," as Milton says (L'Allegro,
119),

"throngs of knights and barons bold.
In weeds of peace, high triumphs hold,
With store of ladies, whose bright eyes
Rain influence, and judge the prize
Of wit or arms, while both contend
To win her grace whom all commend."

Cf. 87 below.

26. Love's. The reading of the 1st ed. and that of 1821; most eds. have
"love."

29. Plaided. The plaid was properly the dress of a Highlander, though it
was worn also in the Lowlands.

51. The Harper on the islet beach. "This picture is touched with the
hand of the true poet" (Jeffrey).

56. As from. As if from. Cf. 64 and 83 below. This ellipsis was common
in Elizabethan English. Cf. Shakespeare, Macb. ii. 2. 28:

"One cried 'God bless us!' and 'Amen' the other,
As they had seen me with these hangman's hands."

65. In the last sound. For the measure, see on i. 73 above.

69. His fleet. That is, of ducks. Cf. i. 239 above.

80. Would scorn. Who would scorn. See on i. 528 above.

84. Turned him. See on i. 142 above, and cf. 106 below.

86. After. Afterwards; as in Shakespeare, Temp. ii. 2. 10: "And after
bite me," etc. The word is not now used adverbially of time, though we
may say "he followed after," etc. The 1st ed. reads "that knight."

94. Parts. Departs; as often in poetry and earlier English. Cf.
Goldsmith, D. V. 171: "Beside the bed where parting life was laid;"
Gray, Elegy, 1: "the knell of parting day," etc. On the other hand,
depart was used in the sense of part. In the Marriage Service "till
death us do part" is a corruption of "till death us depart." Wiclif's
Bible, in Matt. xix. 6, has "therfor a man departe not that thing that
God hath ioyned."

103. Another step, etc. The MS.