142 MEMORIALS OF EDINBURGH.
to have been the same that k n o t alludes to as one of the private oratories existing in hi8
time, in which ‘‘ The baptismal fonts are still remaining.” It is described by him as a
building nigh the Weigh-house, on the south side of the Castle Hill, which has been set
apart for devotion.’ This idea, first suggested by him, of
these ornamental niches having been originally intended for
baptismal fonts, has been repeated by some of the most careful
writers on the antiquities of Edinburgh in our own day,
although the fitness of such an appendage to a private oratory
seems very questionable indeed. From our own observation,
we are inclined to believe that, in the majority of cases,
they were simply ornamental recesses or cupboards ; and
this is the more confirmed, from their most common position
being at the side of the fireplace, and the base in nearly
all of them being a flat and generally projecting ledge,
“We doubt not,” Arnot adds, “but that many more of
the present dwelling-houses in Edinburgh have formerly been consecrated to religious
purposes ; but to discover them would be much less material than difficult ! ” It may
reasonably be regretted that one who professed to treat of our local antiquities, should have
‘dismissed, in so summary and contemptuous a manner, this interesting portion of his
subject, for which, as he acknowledges, he possessed numerous facilities now beyond our
reach.
A house of a very different appearance from any yet described occupies a prominent
position on the north Castle bank, and associates the surrounding district with the name of
Scotland’s great pastoral poet, Allan Ramsay. The house is of a fantastic shape, but it
occupies a position that, we may safely say, could not be surpassed in any city in Europe,
as the site of a ‘( Poet’s Nest.” It is surrounded by a beautiful garden, and though now
in the very heart of the city, it still commands a magnificent and varied prospect, bounded
only on the distant horizon by the Highland hills. At the time of its erection, it was a
suburban retreat, uniting the attractions of a country villa, with an easy access to the centre
of the city. We have been told by a gentleman of antiquarian tastes, from information
communicated to him nearly fifty years ago, that Ramsay applied to the Crown for as much
ground from the Castle Hill as would serve him to build a cage for his hra?, meaning his
wife, to whom he was warmly attached, and hence the octagon shape it assumed, not unlike
an old parrot cage 1 If so, she did not live to share its comforts, her death having occurred
in 1743. Here the poet retired in his sixtieth year, anticipating the enjoyment of its pleasing
seclusion for many years to come ; and although he had already exhausted his energies in the
diligent pursuit of business, he spent, in this lovely retreat, the chief portion of the last
twelve years of his life in ease and tranquil enjoyment, though interrupted towards its close
by a painful malady. He was remarkably cheerful and lively to the last, and his powers of
conversation were such, that his company was eagerly‘courted by all ranks of society; yet
he delighted in nothing so much as seeing himself surrounded by his own family and their
juvenile companions, with whom he would join in their sports with the most hearty life and
good-humour.
* Amot, p. 245.
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