He was the man that principal undirtuk, Of ane or baith; meikle of his travaill." "The 66 was It was, therefore, in all probability, the "Latyne Buk of Wallace's Life," compiled by this worthy ecclesiastic, Master John Blair, who, as we are elsewhere informed, officiated as his chaplain, from which Henry the Minstrel derived those authentic particulars, which may be detected, cropping out, as geologists say, from beneath the more fabulous superficies of his history. There is a curious passage in "Major's History of Scotland," which gives us some insight into the mode in which Blind Harry pursued his vocation. book of William Wallace," says this author, composed during my infancy, by Henry, a man blind from his birth. He wrote in popular rhymes, a species of composition in which he was no mean proficient, such stories as were then current among the common people. From these compilations I must not be blamed if I withhold an implicit belief, as the author was one, who, by reciting them to the great, earned his food and raiment, of which indeed he was worthy." It is thus easy to conceive, that whilst the main groundwork of his narrative was authentic, his recitation of his verses in the halls or at the tables of the great might lead him to omit some fact, to introduce another, to alter, or perhaps add to a third, according to the feelings or prejudices of his audience, and thus gradually bring confusion and contradiction * Major, Historia Britt. p. 169. into his history; nor is it to be forgotten, that many errors may be traced to the ignorance of those who transcribed the poem, and that other blunders may have crept in, from the carelessness of succeeding copyists. But my object in these few remarks on the noted poem of the blind Minstrel is attained, if I have established grounds for the doubt or question with which they commenced, namely, Whether the "Book of Wallace" is to be considered as wholly, or even principally, a work of fiction; whether, amidst all its palpable contradictions, which are so easily detected, there does not run through it, in many places, a vein of historic truth? II. BRUCE AND ST. FILLAN. There is a curious piece of traditionary superstition connected with Bruce and Bannockburn, which, as it was not to be found in Fordun or Winton, I omitted in the text. Perhaps I was wrong in doing so, as the circumstance is characteristic of the times. It relates to an alleged miracle regarding the luminous arm of St. Fillan; and it may first be necessary to inform the reader, that this saint has given his name to many chapels and holy fountains in Scotland. Camerarius informs us he was Abbot of Pittenweem, in Fife, and afterwards died a hermit, in the wild and romantic district of Glenurquhay, A. D. 649. The legend asserts, that when engaged in transcribing the Scriptures, his left hand or arm emitted a supernatural effulgence, by which he was enabled, without resorting to the more natural expedient of using torches or candles, to carry on his labours at midnight as easily as at midday. This luminous arm was ever after preserved as a relic, and Bruce, who neglected nothing which might give confidence to his soldiers, and whose own mind was probably not insensible to the influence of such ideas, carried it along with him, enclosed in its silver shrine, to Bannockburn. The chaplain of the king, however, dreading lest the precious relic should, in the subsequent battle, perhaps fall into the hands of the English, secretly abstracted it, and left nothing but the silver shrine in the royal tent. At night, Robert, with his mind agitated by his various affairs, scarce allowed himself any sleep, but consumed the night in watching, and directed his prayers to St. Fillan, whose arm he believed to be shut up in the silver shrine which was carried with the army; when, to his surprise, the casket was observed to open and shut suddenly, and, on inspection, it was found that the saint had deposited his arm in the shrine, as an assurance of victory. There yet lingers, in the northern parts of the kingdom, a strong superstitious belief in the powers of the same saint to cure lunacy; and the magical operations by which his aid is invoked are still performed at his chapel and pool of Strathfillan, in Breadalbane. A curious relic of St. Fillan existed not very long ago at Killin, where it was seen in July, 1782, by Mr. William Thomson. The following letter from that gentleman, to the late Earl of Buchan, gives a minute description of it:-" At Killin, July 5, 1782, in the house of Malise Doire, I was shown what he called the * Quigrich. It is the head of a Crosier, formerly belonging to St. Fillan, who gave his name to a neighbouring strath. With it is shown a copy of the king's letters of appropriation and security, which I have carefully transcribed. The neighbours conducted me to the envied possessor of this relic, who exhibited it, according to the intent of the royal investment. A youth of nineteen, the representative of his father's name, and presumptive heir to this treasure, lay drooping in an outer apartment, under the last gasp of a consumption. The relic weighs about seven or eight pounds, is of silver gilt, and hollow at one end, A. On the other end, c, which is flat, is engraved a crucifix, having a star on each side. An oval crystal is set in the front of the staff, and is here seen in profile B. B "The document shown with this curious piece of antiquity is in the following terms: "At Edinburgh, the 1st day of November, 1734, in presence of the lords of council and session, compeared Mr. John Lookup, advocat, as procurator for Malise Doire after designed, and gave in the letters of gift underwritten, desiring the same to be registrat in their lordships' books, as a probative writ; which desire the said lords found reasonable, and therefore they ordain the same to be done accordingly, conform to act of Parliament, made anent the registration of probative writs, in all points, whereof the tenor follows: "James, be the grace of God, king of Scottis, to all and sindrie oure leigis and subditis spirituale and temporale, to whais knawledge thir oure letters sall come greeting: for as meikle as we haif understud that oure servitor, Malise Doire, and his forbears, hes had ane relic of Saint Filane, callit the Quigrich, in keping of us and of oure progenitouris of maist noble mynde, quham God assoilzie, sen the tyme of King Robert the Bruce, and of before, and made nane obedience nor answer to na persoun spirituale nor temporale, in ony thing concerning the said haly relic, uthirwayis than what is contenit in the auld infeftment thereof maid and grantit be oure said progenitouris. We charge you thairfore straitly, and commandis that in tyme to cum ye, and ilk ane of you, redily answer, intend, and obey to the said Malise Doire, in the peceable bruiking and joising of the said relick. And that ye, or nane of you, tak upon hand to compel nor distrenzie him to mak obedience nor answer to you, nor til ony uther bot allenarly to us and oure successouris, according to the said infeftment and fundatun of the said relick, and siclike as wes use |