611. =morricers=, morrice dancers. The morrice or morris was an old dance, imported into England from Spain. Believed to be a corruption of "Moorish." 613. =butts=, the targets for archery practice. 614. =Bold Robin Hood and all his band.= It is of course not meant that the renowned outlaw himself and his followers were there, but masqueraders representing these traditional characters. All the names that follow occur in one or other of the legends and ballads which gathered about Robin Hood's name. 622. =the white=, i.e., the white center of the target. 660. =Ladies Rock.= A hillock between the Castle and Grayfriar's church, from which the court ladies viewed the games. 872. =lily lawn.= A conventional phrase in old ballad poetry, without any very definite meaning. CANTO SIXTH 42. =harness=, armor and other war gear. 60. =halberd=, a weapon consisting of a battle-ax and pike at the end of a long staff. =brand=, a poetical word for sword. 92. =black-jack=, a large drinking can of tarred or waxed leather. 95. =Drink upsees out.= "Upsees" is a corruption of a Dutch Bacchanalian interjection. 103. =cure.= Parish or charge. =placket.= Petticoat. 104. =lurch=, swindle, leave in difficulty. 306. =prore=, poetical form of "prow." 377. =erne=, eagle. Stanza XVII. Notice how both rime and rhythm mirror the growing excitement of the conflict. 452. =As their Tinchel cows the game.= The "Tinchel" was a circle of hunters, surrounding a herd of deer and gradually closing in on them. 488. =linn=, the word here means waterfall. 586. =Bothwell's lord=, Douglas. See note to II, xiii, 141. 591. =How Roderick brooked his minstrelsy.= "Brooked" is not used in its strong sense of "endured," but in the weaker one of "received"; we should say colloquially "how he took it." APPENDIX (Adapted, and enlarged, from the _Manual for the Study of English Classics_, by George L. Marsh) HELPS TO STUDY LIFE OF SCOTT What prominent traits of Scott's character can be traced to his ancestors (pp. 9, 10)? How did he regard the members of his clan, especially the chief (pp. 19, 20)? What characteristic is represented in his refusal to learn Latin and Greek at school? What was his own method of obtaining an education? In what did he become proficient (p. 12)? How did he regard his legal studies? How did they benefit him in his later work? How was he first interested in ballad-writing? Tell of the composition, publication, and popularity of his first poems (pp. 20 ff.). In what business venture did he become involved, and what was the final outcome? What defect in his character is it charged that his business relations brought to light (pp. 24, 25)? Tell of the composition of his novels. Why were they published incognito? What can you say of his last years and his struggle to pay off the debts incurred by his connection with Ballantyne? SCOTT AND THE ROMANTIC MOVEMENT