Produced by Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net ROYAL EDINBURGH HER SAINTS, KINGS, PROPHETS AND POETS 'Mine own romantic town.' MARMION BY MRS. OLIPHANT AUTHOR OF 'MAKERS OF FLORENCE,' 'MAKERS OF VENICE,' ETC. WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY GEORGE REID, R.S.A. LONDON MACMILLAN AND CO. AND NEW YORK 1891 _All rights reserved_ * * * * * _First Edition (Medium 8vo) 1890_ _Second Edition (Crown 8vo) 1891_ * * * * * [Illustration: ST. GILES'S FROM THE LAWNMARKET] * * * * * TO MY OLD FRIEND ALEXANDER MACMILLAN CONTENTS PART I PAGE MARGARET OF SCOTLAND, ATHELING--QUEEN AND SAINT 1 PART II THE STEWARDS OF SCOTLAND CHAPTER I JAMES I. POET AND LEGISLATOR 38 CHAPTER II JAMES II: WITH THE FIERY FACE 80 CHAPTER III JAMES III: THE MAN OF PEACE 126 CHAPTER IV JAMES IV: THE KNIGHT-ERRANT 155 CHAPTER V JAMES V: THE LAST OF THE HEROIC AGE 200 PART III THE TIME OF THE PROPHETS CHAPTER I UNDER THE QUEEN REGENT 258 CHAPTER II UNDER QUEEN MARY 310 CHAPTER III THE TRIUMPH AND END 350 CHAPTER IV THE SCHOLAR OF THE REFORMATION 374 PART IV THE MODERN CITY CHAPTER I A BURGHER POET 435 CHAPTER II THE GUEST OF EDINBURGH 471 CHAPTER III THE SHAKSPEARE OF SCOTLAND 491 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE ST. GILES'S FROM THE LAWNMARKET _Frontispiece_ ROYAL EDINBURGH xiv QUEEN MARGARET'S CHAPEL, EDINBURGH CASTLE 1 PILLAR IN NAVE, DUNFERMLINE ABBEY 5 DUNFERMLINE ABBEY 7 WEST TOWER, DUNFERMLINE ABBEY 11 THE NAVE, DUNFERMLINE ABBEY--LOOKING WEST 13 QUEEN MARGARET'S CAVE 15 WEST DOORWAY, DUNFERMLINE ABBEY 17 INTERIOR OF QUEEN MARGARET'S CHAPEL, EDINBURGH CASTLE 25 ARMS OF QUEEN MARGARET OF SCOTLAND 37 THE BASS ROCK 53