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THOMAS THE RHYMER
Thomas, of Ercildoun, in Lauderdale, called the Rhymer, on account of
his producing a poetical romance on the subject of Tristrem and Yseult,
which is curious as the earliest specimen of English verse known to
exist, flourished in the reign of Alexander III. of Scotland.
Like other men of talent of the period, Thomas was suspected of
magic. He was also said to have the gift of prophecy, which
was
accounted for in the following peculiar manner, referring entirely to
the Elfin superstition.
As Thomas lay on Huntly Bank (a place on the descent of the Eildon
Hills, which raise their triple crest above the celebrated monastery of
Melrose), he saw a lady so extremely beautiful that he imagined she
must be the Virgin Mary herself. Her appointments, however,
were
those rather of an amazon, or goddess of the woods. Her steed
was
of the highest beauty, and at its mane hung thirty silver bells and
nine, which were music to the wind p. 94as she paced along.
Her
saddle was of “royal bone” (ivory), laid over with
“orfeverie” (goldsmith’s work).
Her stirrups,
her dress, all corresponded with her extreme beauty and the
magnificence of her array. The fair huntress had her bow in
hand,
and her arrows at her belt. She led three greyhounds in a
leash,
and three raches, or hounds of scent, followed her closely.
She rejected and disclaimed the homage which Thomas desired to pay her;
so that, passing from one extremity to the other, Thomas became as bold
as he had at first been humble. The lady warned him he must
become her slave if he wished to prosecute his suit. Before
their
interview terminated, the appearance of the beautiful lady was changed
into that of the most hideous hag in existence. A witch from
the
spital or almshouse would have been a goddess in comparison to the late
beautiful huntress. Hideous as she was, Thomas felt that he
had
placed himself in the power of this hag, and when she bade him take
leave of the sun, and of the leaf that grew on the tree, he felt
himself under the necessity of obeying her. A cavern received
them, in which, following his frightful guide, he for three days
travelled in darkness, sometimes hearing the booming of a distant
ocean, sometimes walking through rivers of blood, which crossed their
subterranean path. At length they emerged into daylight, in a
most beautiful orchard. Thomas, almost p. 95fainting for want
of
food, stretched out his hand towards the goodly fruit which hung around
him, but was forbidden by his conductress, who informed him that these
were the fatal apples which were the cause of the fall of
man. He
perceived also that his guide had no sooner entered this mysterious
ground and breathed its magic air than she was revived in beauty,
equipage, and splendour, as fair or fairer than he had first seen her
on the mountain. She then proceeded to explain to him the
character of the country.
“Yonder right-hand path,” she says,
“conveys the
spirits of the blest to paradise. Yon downward and well-worn
way
leads sinful souls to the place of everlasting punishment.
The
third road, by yonder dark brake, conducts to the milder place of pain,
from which prayer and mass may release offenders. But see you
yet
a fourth road, sweeping along the plain to yonder splendid
castle? Yonder is the road to Elfland, to which we are now
bound. The lord of the castle is king of the country, and I
am
his queen; and when we enter yonder castle, you must observe strict
silence, and answer no question that is asked you, and I will account
for your silence by saying I took your speech when I brought you from
middle earth.”
Having thus instructed him, they journeyed on to the castle, and,
entering by the kitchen, found themselves in the midst of such a
festive scene as p. 96might become the mansion of a great feudal lord
or prince.
Thirty carcasses of deer were lying on the massive kitchen board, under
the hands of numerous cooks, who toiled to cut them up and dress them,
while the gigantic greyhounds which had taken the spoil lay lapping the
blood, and enjoying the sight of the slain game. They came
next
to the royal hall, where the king received his loving consort; knights
and ladies, dancing by threes, occupied the floor of the hall; and
Thomas, the fatigue of his journey from the Eildon Hills forgotten,
went forward and joined in the revelry. After a period,
however,
which seemed to him a very short one, the queen spoke with him apart,
and bade him prepare to return to his own country.
“Now,” said the queen, “how long think
you that you have been here?”
“Certes, fair lady,” answered Thomas,
“not above these seven days.”
“You are deceived,” answered the queen;
“you have
been seven years in this castle, and it is full time you were
gone. Know, Thomas, that the archfiend will come to this
castle
to-morrow to demand his tribute, and so handsome a man as you will
attract his eye. For all the world would I not suffer you to
be
betrayed to such a fate; therefore up, and let us be going.”
This terrible news reconciled Thomas to his departure p. 97from
Elfinland; and the queen was not long in placing him upon Huntly Bank,
where the birds were singing. She took leave of him, and to
ensure his reputation bestowed on him the tongue which could not
lie. Thomas in vain objected to this inconvenient and
involuntary
adhesion to veracity, which would make him, as he thought, unfit for
church or for market, for king’s court or for
lady’s
bower. But all his remonstrances were disregarded by the
lady;
and Thomas the Rhymer, whenever the discourse turned on the future,
gained the credit of a prophet whether he would or not, for he could
say nothing but what was sure to come to pass.
Thomas remained several years in his own tower near Ercildoun, and
enjoyed the fame of his predictions, several of which are current among
the country people to this day. At length, as the prophet was
entertaining the Earl of March in his dwelling, a cry of astonishment
arose in the village, on the appearance of a hart and hind, which left
the forest, and, contrary to their shy nature, came quietly onward,
traversing the village towards the dwelling of Thomas. The
prophet instantly rose from the board, and acknowledging the prodigy as
the summons of his fate, he accompanied the hart and hind into the
forest, and though occasionally seen by individuals to whom he has
chosen to show himself, he has never again mixed familiarly with
mankind.
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