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Kay's Originals Vol. 1

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XOTES TO VOL. I. Page 196, IIOPETOFUANM ILY. John de Hope came to Edinburgh in the retinue of the Princess Magdalen, the first Queen of James V., in 1537. His house stood-possibly still stands-in Bailie Fife’s Close, near Knox’s house, with the name Johne Hope cut in bold characters over the doorway, and his shield and initials on the lowest crowstep. His son Edward’s mansion stood in Todd’s Close, adjoining that of the Queen Regent Mary de Guise, till its deniolition in 1845. The late Mr. C. K. Sharpe had some fine carved oaken sareen-work from this house. Page 208, BUFFONAN D SYELLIE. It is said that upon Buffon and Smellie meeting, they found to their mutual surprise that they were unintelligible to each other. Srnellie had mastered the French language for himself, and pronounced it according to its orthography, with all the amplitude of Scottish gutturals and broad vowels, to the astonishment of the great naturalist, who could not guess in what strange language he was addressed ! Page 208, MUGEWO F NATURAHLI STORY. It was the fashion at that date to mingle with the legitimate contents of an archao- It may possibly be worth noticing that all Lectures on Natural History, logical museum, objects of natural history, .such were subsequently handed over to the Royal Society. delivered at the request of the Society of Antiquaries, would now seem ridiculous. Page 213, Right Hon. LORDA DABGXO RDON. The song ‘‘ For Lack of Gold” was composed by Dr. Austin, the fashionable physician in Edinburgh about a century ago. He was the accepted lover of Miss Jane Drummond, and had celebrated her charms in a song, beginning, “ Bonnie Jeannie Drummond, she towers aboon them a.”’ But the rank and title of Duchess, though secured by wedding a Duke, old and unattractive, tempted the fickle beauty. She is said to have given him a hint that she remembered her old troth on the death of the Duke, but the Doctor made no response, and soon after wedded a daughter of Lord SempilL Page 223, ORLANDHOA RTA ND KINGC RISPIN. . It was long the annual custom for the Corporation of Cordiners or Shoemakers to inaugurate a king of the craft, and escort him through the town in grand procession on the 25th of October, St. Crispin’s Day. It was got up in imposing style, and attracted spectators from all the surrounding villages. The hall of the Canongate shoemakers was latterly the favourite place of rendezvous. It stood in Little Jack’s Close, with their arms and the date 1682 over the entrance. William Sawem, bootmaker, was actually crowned as King Crispin on the 25th October 1820, in the Picture Gallery of Holyrood Palace ! The cost of such regal displays finally brought the corporation to bewry. Page 231, THOMANS EIL and the Song “ Sweet sir, for your courtesie.” This well-known song is to be found in Johnson’s Scots Musical Museum. The tune is more ancient, and occurs in the Skene RfS., cir. 1630. The song itself was introduced by Ranisay into his Tea-Table Miscellany, 1724. The song, in its present version, is probably of Aberdeen origin. Dr. Robert Chambers supposes the Bass of Inverury to be referred to in the first stanza. It cannot refer to the Bass Rock, Stanza three should read ‘‘ a pair of sheen ”-the true Aberdonian pronimciation, and there meant to rhyme with Aberdeen.
Volume 8 Page 602
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