St. Ronan's Well Read online

  EDITOR'S NOTES.

  [II-A] p. 104. "Tietania." A little book on the art of tying the neckcloth,in the age of Brummel and his "failures." Copies may occasionally befound on the bookstalls. It is not in the Abbotsford Library.

  [II-B] p. 151. "I first persuaded her to quit the path of duty." Thisremark of Tyrrel's is one of the many surviving traces of the originalplot.

  [II-C] p. 220. "Master Stephen." A character of Ben Jonson's alreadyreferred to--he who wished for a stool to be sad upon.

  [II-D] p. 223. "A Canon of Strasburgh." Scott frequently refers, inaccounts of the roof of the hall of Abbotsford, which he blazoned withhis quarterings, to his deficiency in the sixteen necessary for aCanonry. Three shields, those connected with the Rutherfords ofHunthill, are vacant, or rather are painted with clouds.

  [II-E] p. 238. "One of Plutarch's heroes, if I mistake not." It was not ahero of Plutarch's, but Pindar the poet, who was warned by Persephonethat he had neglected to honour her by an ode.

  [II-F] p. 254. "They can scarcely say worse of me than I deserve." In thisremark of Clara's we have another trace of the original plot, involvingClara's lapse from virtue. The whole scene, with Mowbray's "You havingbeen such as you own yourself," was made unintelligible by Ballantyne'sobjection.

  [II-G] p. 300. "A corbie messenger." It seems unlikely that the Scots had alegend like the Greek one concerning the evil "corbie" or ravenmessenger to Apollo about his false lady-love, but no other explanationsuggests itself.

  ANDREW LANG._December 1893._