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unspoken than uttred, unless the faut wear sure to bo amended) that might shew thei move alweis more peral to our armie, but in their one night's so doynge, than thei shew good service (as sum sey) in a hoole vyage."Apud DALZELL's Fragments, p. 75.

Cheer the dark blood-hound on his way,

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And with the bugle rouse the fray.-Ver. 29, p, 123. ! The pursuit of Border marauders was followed by the injured party and his friends with bloodhounds and bugle-horn, and was called the hot-trod He was entitled, if his dog could trace the scent, to follow the invaders into the opposite kingdom; a privilege which often occasioned bloodshed. In ad dition to what has been said of the blood-hound, I may add, that the breed was kept up by the Buccleuch family on their Border estates till within the 18th century. A person was alive in the memory of man, who remembered a blood-hound being kept at Eldinhope, in Ettricke Forest, for whose maintenance the tenant had an allowance of meal. At that time the sheep were always watched at night. Upon one occasion when the duty had fallen on the narra tor, then a lad, he became exhausted with fatigue, and fell asleep upon a bank near sunrising. Suddenly he was awakened by the tread of horses, and saw five men well mounted and armed, ride briskly over

the edge of the hill. They stopped and looked at the flock; but the day was too far broken to admit the chance of their carrying any of them off. One of them, in spite, leaped from his horse, and com❤. ing to the shepherd, seized him by the belt he wore round his waist; and setting his foot upon his body, pulled it till it broke, and carried it away with him. They rode off at the gallop; and the shepherd giv. ing the alarm, the blood-hound was turned loose and the people in the neighborhood alarmed. The ma rauders, however, escaped, notwithstanding a sharp pursuit. This circumstance serves to shew, how very long the license of the Borderers continued in some degree to manifest itself.

NOTES

ON

CANTO SIXTH.

She wrought not by forbidaen spell.-Ver. 5, p. 128.

Popular belief, though contrary to the doctrines of the church, made a favourable distinction betwixt magicians, and necromancers, or wizards; the former were supposed to command the evil spirits, and the latter to serve, or at least to be in league and compact with, those enemies of mankind. The arts of subjecting the dæmons were manifold; sometimes the fiends were actually swindled by the magicians, as in the case of the bargain betwixt one of their number and the poet Virgil. The classic reader will doubtless be curious to peruse this anecdote.

"Virgilius was at scole at Tolenton, where he stodyed dyligently, for he was of great understand ynge. Upon a tyme the scholers had lycense to go to play and sporte them in the fyldes, after the usaunce of the. holde tyme. And there was also

Virgilius therebye, also walkynge amonge the hylles alle about. It fortuned he spyed a great hole in the syde of a great hyll, wherein he went so depe, that he culde not see no more lyght; and then he went a lytell farther therin, and than he saw some lyght agayne, and than he went fourth streyghte and with in a lytyll whle after he harde a voyce that called

Virgilius! Virgilius and loked aboute, and he colde nat see nobody. Than sayed he (i. e. the voice,)

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Virgilius, see ye not the lytty ll bourde lyinge byside you there marked with that word?' Than answered Virgilius, 'I see that borde well anough.' The voyce sayd, doo awaye that borde, and lette me out there atte. Than answered Virgilius to the voyce that was under the lytell borde, and sayd, Who art thou that calles me so ?' Than answered the Devyll,

I am a devyll conjured out of the body of a certeyne man, and banysshed here tyll the day of judgemend, without that I be delyvered by the hands of men. Thus, Virgilius, I pray the, delyvere me out of this payn, and I shall shewe unto the many bokes of ny❤ gromancye, and how thou shalt come by it lyghtly, and know the practise therein, that no man in the scyence of nygromancye shall passe the. the. And more. over, I shall shewe and informe the so, that thou shalt have alle thy desyre, wherby mythynke it is a great gyfte for so lytyll a doynge. For ye may also

thus all your power frendys helpe, and make rycha your ennemyes.'-Thorough that great promy se was Virgilius tempted; he bade the fynd show the bokes to hym, that he might have and occupy them at his wyll, and so the fynde shewed hym. And than Vir gilius pulled open a bourde, and there was a lytell hole, and therat wrang the devyll out lyke a yeel, and came and stode byfore Virgilius lyke a bygge man; wherof, Virgilius was astonied and marveyled greatly ther of, that so great a man might come out at so lytell a hole. Than sayd Virgilius, ‘Shulde ye well passe into the hole that ye cam out of?" Yea, I shall well,' sayd the devyll. I holde the best plegge that I have that ye shall not do it.'

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Well,' sayd the devyll, therto I consent.' And than the devyll wrange himself into the lytell hole ageyne; and as he was therein, Virgilius kyvered the hole ageyn with the bourde close, and so was the devyll gyled, and myght nat there come out agen, but abydeth shytte stylle therin. Than called the devyll drede. fully to Virgilius and sayd, 'What have ye done, Virgilius? Virglus answered, Abyde there styll to your day apoynted;' and fro thens forth abvdeth he there. And so Virgilius became very cunnynge in the practyse of the blacke scyence."

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This story may remind the reader of the Arabian tale of the fisherman and the imprisoned Genie; and it is more than probable that many of the marvels

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