The Waverley novels, by Sir Walter Scott, complete in 12 vol., printed from the latest English ed., embracing the author's last corrections, prefaces & notes.

226 WAVERLEY NOVELS.
the favourite; " this gentleman.hath a good countenance, a happy presence,
and much calm firmness in his look and speech. I cannot'think he would
attempt a crime so desperate and useless."
" I profess neither love nor favour to the young man," answered Buckingham, whose high-spirited ambition bore alwrays an open character; "but
I cannot but agree with your Highness, that our dear gossip hath been
something hasty in apprehending personal danger fronom him."*
"Bv my saul, Steenie, ye are not blate, to say so," said the King. "Do
I not ken the smell of pouther, think ye? Who else nosed out the Fifth of
November, save our royal selves? Cecil, and Suffolk, and all of them,
were at fault, like sae mony mongrel tikes, when I puzzled it out; and trow
ye that I cannot smell pouther? Why, s'blood, man, Joannes Barclaius
thought my ingine was in some measure inspiration, and terms his history
of the plot, Series patefacti divinitus parricidii; and Spondanus, in like
manner, saith of us, Divinitus evasit."
" The land was happy in your Majesty's escape," said the Duke of Buckingham, "and not less in the quick wit which tracked that labyrinth of
treason by so fine and almost invisible a clew."
"Saul, man, Steenie, ye are right! There are few youths have sic true
judgment as you, respecting the wisdom, of their elders; and, as for this
fause, traitorous smaik, I doubt he is a hawk of the same nest. Saw ye not
something papistical about him? Let them look that he bears not a crucifix, or some sic Roman trinket, about him."
"It would ill become me to attempt the exculpation of this unhappy
man," said Lord Dalgarno, " considering the height of his present attempt,
which has made all true men's blood curdle in their veins. Yet I cannot
avoid intimating, with all due submission to his Majesty's. infallible judgment, in justice to one who showed himself formerly only my enemy,
though he now displays himself in much blacker colours, that this Olifaunt
always appeared to me more as a Puritan than as a Papist."
"Ah, Dalgarno, art thou there, man?" said the King. "And ye behoved
to keep back, too, and leave us to our own natural strength and the care of
Providence, when we were in grips with the villain!"
" Providence, may it please your most Gracious Majesty, would not fail
to aid, in such a strait, the care of three weeping kingdoms," said Lord
Dalgarno.
" Surely man - surely," replied the King - " but a sight of your father,
with his long whinyard, would have been a blithe matter a short while syne;
and in future we will aid the ends of Providence in our favour, by keeping
tween the Kinig and Prince Charles, who is on the left of tile picture. the Duke of Buckinigham is represented
riding a blaci horse, and pointing eagerly towards the culprit, Nigel Oliphault, who is standing on the right
side of the picture. HeI grasps with his right hand a gun, or cross-bow, and looks angrily towards the King,
who seems sornewhat confused and alarmed. Behind Nigel, his servant is restralining two dogs, which are
harking fiercely. Nigel and his servant are both clotthed in red, the livery of tile Oliphaiunt filmily, in which,
to this day, the town-officers of Perth are clothed, there beingl an old charter, grarting to the Oliphaunt frsnily
thile privilege of dressing the public officers of Perth ill their livery. The Duke of Bucklingham is in all respects equal in magnificence of dress to the King or the Prince. TIhe only diff'erence that is marked between
him and royalty is, that his head is uncovered. Tile King and the Prince wear their hats. In Letitia Ailtin's
Memoirs of the Reign of King James, will be foulld a letter fi-om Sir'Thomas HIoward to Lord L. Harrington,
in which he recommnends the latter to come to Court. mentionring that his Majesty has spoklen favourably of
hil. lie then proceeds to give him some advice, by which lihe is likely to find favour in tile Kin'g's eyes. He
tells him to wear a bushy ruff,well starched; and, after vrrrious other directions as to hiis dress, he concludes,' hl., above all things, fail not to praise the roaoi jennet whlereon the King dol. h daily ride.' In this picture,
King James is represented on the identical roan jennet. In the tbackgroundl of the picture are seen two or
three suspicious-looking figures, as if watching the success of somle plot. T'lhese may halve been put ill by
the painter, to flatter the King, by making it be supposed that he had actually escaped, or successfully cornbated, some serious plot.'The King is attendled by a nunmerons band of courtiers.lid attendants, all of whom
seem nroving forward to arrest the defaulter.'ThIe painting of this picture is extrernely good, but the drawing
is very Gothic, arnd there is ino attempt at the keeping of perspective. The picture is very dtark and obscure,
which considerably adds to the interest of the scene."
* The feats of James for his personal afety were often excited without serious grounds. On one occasion
having been indulced to visit a coal-pit on the coast of Fife, he was conlucrted a little way under tile sea, laid
ibrougrht to daylighlt again on a smaill island, or what was such at fril tide, down which a shaft had been sutk.
James, whio oon.ceived ilis life or liberty airmed at. when he found himself lon an islet surrounled by the sea,
instead of admiring, as hiis cicerone hoped, the unexpected cliange of scene, cried 7'reason withl all Iils might,
and could not be pacified till he was rowedi ashore. At Lochmaben he took ain equally causeless alarm from
a still lighter circurmlstance. Some vendisses, a fish peculiar tothe Loch, were presented to the royal table as
a delicacy: but the King, who was not familiar with their appearance, concluded they were poisoned, and
broke up the banqllet v withr most admired disorder."