Not long after, manie of
the court that hitherunto had born a kind of fayned friendship towards
him, began now greatly to envie at his progresse and rising in goodness,
using manie crooked, backbiting meanes to diffame his vertues with the
black markes of hypocrisie. And the better to authorise their calumnie,
they brought in this that happened in the violl, affirming it to have
been done by art magick. What more? this wicked rumour encreased, dayly,
till the king and others of the nobilitie taking hould thereof, Dunstan
grew odious in their sight. Therefore he resolued to leaue the court,
and goe to Elphegus, surnamed the Bauld, then bishop of Winchester, who
was his cozen. Which his enemies understanding, they layd wayte for him
in the way, and hauing throwne him off his horse, beate him, and dragged
him in the durt in the most miserable manner, meaning to have slaine
him, had not a companie of mastiue dogges, that came unlookt uppon them,
defended and redeemed him from their crueltie. When with sorrow he
was ashamed to see dogges more humane than they. And giuing thankes to
Almightie God, he sensibly againe perceaued that the tunes of his violl
had giuen him a warning of future accidents' (Flower of the Lives of
the most renowned Sainets of England, Scotland, and Ireland, by the R.
Father Hierome Porter. Doway, 1632 4to. tome i. p. 438).

"The same supernatural circumstance is alluded to by the anonymous
author of Grim, the Collier of Croydon:

'-----[Dunstant's harp sounds on the wall.]
'Forrest. Hark, hark, my lord, the holy abbot's harp
Sounds by itself so hanging on the wall!
'Dunstan. Unhallow'd man, that scorn'st the sacred rede,
Hark, how the testimony of my truth
Sounds heavenly music with an angel's hand,
To testify Dunstan's integrity,
And prove thy active boast of no effect.'"

141. Bothwell's bannered hall. The picturesque ruins of Bothwell Castle
stand on the banks of the Clyde, about nine miles above Glasgow. Some
parts of the walls are 14 feet thick, and 60 feet in height. They are
covered with ivy, wild roses, and wall-flowers.

"The tufted grass lines Bothwell's ancient hall,
The fox peeps cautious from the creviced wall,
Where once proud Murray, Clydesdale's ancient lord,
A mimic sovereign, held the festal board."

142. Ere Douglases, to ruin driven. Scott says: "The downfall of the
Douglases of the house of Angus, during the reign o