Montrose’s sentence, in all circumstances, was executed _ad literam_. His head was stuck upon the tolbooth of Edinburgh, where it remained, blackening in the sun, when his master, Charles II., soon thereafter arrived in the Scottish metropolis. His limbs were dispersed to Perth, Glasgow, Stirling, and Aberdeen, and his body was buried at the place of execution, from whence it was afterwards removed to the common moor,[60] whence it was lifted at the Restoration. On this event, when Charles found opportunity for testifying his respect for Montrose, his scattered remains were collected. There was a scaffold erected at the tolbooth, and some ceremony was used in taking down his head from its ignominious situation. According to Kirkton,[61] some bowed and some knelt while that relic was removed from the spike, which was done by Montrose’s kinsman, the Laird of Gorthie, who, according to the covenanting account, died _in consequence_, after performing his triumphant but melancholy duty. The Laird of Pitcurre, too, who in his joy had drunk a little too much on the occasion, was, by the same account, found dead in his bed next morning; though we find little hesitation in giving the brandy more of the credit due to that event than what the Presbyterian annalist is pleased to call “the pleasure of Heaven.” Montrose’s remains were deposited in Holyroodhouse, where they remained some time in state; and, on the 14th of May, 1651, they were buried, with great pomp and ceremony, in the cathedral church of St. Giles. * * * * * Such is a brief but correct historical detail of the events which the Author of “Waverley” has confounded and misrepresented, for his own purposes, in the “Legend of Montrose.” We have given at best but a meagre outline of the events, but as they run in their proper series, our narrative will serve to correct the irregularity into which the Great Novelist has thrown them. It may here be observed, that the last event in the Tale is the attempted murder of Lord Menteith, which our Author has placed after the battle of Inverlochy. Now this circumstance, which was of real occurrence, took place on the 6th of September, 1644, a few days after the battle of Tippermuir, whereas the battle of Inverlochy happened on the 1st of February, 1645, five months after. We have made some collections respecting the assassination, and give the result.