THE CANONGA TE AND ABBE Y SANCTUAR Y. 307
roof the dignitaries of the Church, the nobles attending on the old Scottish Kings, and
the beauties of Queen Mary’s Court, passed and repassed into the Abbey Close. This
interesting and highly ornamental portion of the ancient monastic buildings was, in all
probability, the work of the good Abbot Ballantyne, who rebuilt the north side of the
church in the highly ornate style of his time, about 1490, and erected the chapel of St
Ninian, North Leith, and the old atone bridge that led to it, which was demolished in
1789 to make way for the present upper drawbridge. Adjoining this ancient porch,
formerly stood Abbot Ballantyne’s ‘‘ great house or lodging, with the yard thereof, lying
beside the port pf Holyrood House, on the north aide of the street.” The groined archway
of the fine old porch, with the remains of the good Abbot’s lodging, forming, with
the exception of the chapel, the most ancient portions of the Abbey Palace that then
remained, were recklessly demolished by the hereditary keeper in 1753, in order, it is
said, to transfer his apartments from the gate-house to the main building of the Palace.
A small and unpretending dwelling, which now occupies part of the site of the Abbot’s
mansion, may perhaps excite some interest in the minds of certain curious readers as
having once been the house of the notorious Lucky Spence, celebrated in the verses of
Allan Ramsay in terms somewhat more graphic than poetical.’ A singular discovery was
made about fourteen years since, during the progress of some alterations on this building,
which furnishes a vivid illustration of the desperate deeds occasionally practised under the
auspices of its former occupant. In breaking out a new window on the ground floor, a
cavity was found in the solid wall, containing the skeleton of a child, with some remains
of a fine linen cloth in which it had been wrapped. Our authority, a worthy shoemaker,
who had occupied the house for forty-eight years, was present when this mysterious
discovery was made, and described very graphically the amazement and horror of the
workman, who threw away his crow-bar, and was with difficulty persuaded to resume
his operations.
At the corner of the Horse Wynd, and immediately to the west of the Abbey Court-
House, a dilapidated mansion of considerable extent is- pointed out traditionally as the
residence of the unfortunate Rizzio, though it is an erection of probably a century later
than the bloody deed that has given so much interest to the name of the Italian favourite.
A curious and exceedingly picturesque court is enclosed by the buildings behind, and
bore in earlier times the name of the Chancellor’s Court, having probably at some period
formed the residence of that eminent official dignitary. It is described in the title-deeds
as bounded by “the venal1 leading to the king’s stables on the south, and the Horse
Wynd on the west parts ; ” a definition which clearly indicates the site of the royal mews
to have been on the west side of the Abbey Close. More recent and trustworthy traditions
than those above referred to, point out a large room on the first floor of this house as
having been the scene of some interesting proceedings connected with the rehearsal of
Home’s Douglas, in which the reverend author was assisted by sundry eminent lay and
clerical friends. In the cast of the piece furnished by Mr Edward Hialopa good
authority on Scottish theatricals-Principal Robertson, David Hume, Dr Carlyle of
Inveresk, and the author, take the leading male parts, while the ladies are represented by
Professor Ferguson and Dr Blair, the eminent divine 1 Notwithstanding, however, the
Lucky Spence’s Last Advice. Ramsay’s Poems, 4t0, p. 33.
