Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field in Six CantosScott, Walter
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Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field in Six Cantos
Scott, Walter
Flodden, Battle of, England, 1513 -- Poetry
"Rem miram hujusmodi que nostris temporibus evenit, teste viro
nobili ac fide dignissimo, enarrare haud pigebit. Radulphus Bulmer,
cum e castris, quae tunc temporis prope Norham posita erant,
oblectationis causa, exiisset, ac in ulteriore Tuedae ripa praaedam
cum canibus leporariis insequeretur, forte cum Scoto quodam nobili,
sibi antehac, ut videbatur, familiariter cognito, congressus est;
ac, ut fas erat inter inimicos, flagrante bello, brevissima
interrogationis mora interposita, alterutros invicem incitato cursu
infestis animis petiere. Noster, primo occursu, equo praeacerrimo
hostis impetu labante, in terram eversus pectore et capite laeso,
sanguinem, mortuo similis, evomebat. Quern ut se aegre habentem
comiter allocutus est alter, pollicitusque, modo auxilium non
abnegaret, monitisque obtemperans ab omni rerum sacrarum cogitatione
abstineret, nec Deo, Deiparae Virgini, Sanctove ullo, preces aut
vota efferret vel inter sese conciperet, se brevi eum sanum
validumque restiturum esse. Prae angore oblata conditio accepta est;
ac veterator ille nescio quid obscaeni murmuris insusurrans,
prehensa manu, dicto citius in pedes sanum ut antea sublevavit.
Noster autem, maxima prae rei inaudita novitate formidine perculsus,
MI JESU! exclamat, vel quid simile; ac subito respiciens nec hostem
nec ullum alium conspicit, equum solum gravissimo nuper casu
afflictum, per summam pacem in rivo fluvii pascentem. Ad castra
itaque mirabundus revertens, fidei dubius, rem primo occultavit,
dein, confecto bello, Confessori suo totam asseruit. Delusoria
procul dubio res tota, ac mala veteratoris illius aperitur fraus,
qua hominem Christianum ad vetitum tale auxilium pelliceret. Nomen
utcunque illius (nobilis alias ac clari) reticendum duco, cum haud
dubium sit quin Diabolus, Deo permittente, formam quam libuerit,
immo angeli lucis, sacro oculo Dei teste, posse assumere."
'The MS. chronicle, from which Mr. Cradocke took this curious
extract, cannot now be found in the Chapter Library of Durham, or,
at least, has hitherto escaped the researches of my friendly
correspondent.
'Lindesay is made to allude to this adventure of Ralph Bulmer, as a
well-known story, in the 4th Canto, Stanza xxii. p. 103.
'The northern champions of old were accustomed peculiarly to search
for, and delight in, encounters with such military spectres. See a
whole chapter on the subject in BARTHOLINUS De Causis contemptae
Mortis a Danis, p. 253.'
line 508. Sir Gilbert Hay, as a faithful adherent of Bruce, was
created Lord High Constable of Scotland. See note in 'Lord of the
Isles,' II. xiii. How 'the Haies had their beginning of nobilitie'
is told in Holinshed's 'Scottish Chronicle,' I. 308.
Stanza XXVI. line 510. Quaigh, 'a wooden cup, composed of staves
hooped together.'--SCOTT.
Stanza XXVIII. line 551. Darkling, adv. (not adj. as in Keats's
'darkling way' in 'Eve of St. Agnes'), really means 'in the dark.'
Cp. 'Lady of the Lake,' IV. (Alice Brand):--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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