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The Works of Walter Scott, Esq: The lady of the lake.
The Works of Walter Scott Esq The lady of the lake Author:Walter Scott Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: NOTES TO CANTO FIRST. Note I. The heights of Uam-var, And round that cavern whert 'tis told A giant made his den ufoldfSt, H/p. 01 Q Ua-var, as the name i... more »s pronounced, or more properly Uaigh- taor, is a mountain to the north-east of the village of Callender in Menteith, deriving its name, which signifies the great den, or cavern, from a sort of retreat among the rocks on the south side, said, by tradition, to have been the abode of a giant. la latter times, it was the refuge of robbers and banditti, who have been only extirpated within these forty or fifty years. Strictly speaking, this strong-hold is not a cave, as the name would imply, but a sort of small inclosure, or recess, surrounded with large rocks, and open above head. It may have been originally designed as a toil for deer, who might get in from the outside, but would find it difficult to return. This opinion prevails among the old sportsmen and deer-stalkers in the neighbourhood. Note IT. Two dogi of black Sc Hubert't breed, Unmatchedfor courage, strength, and tpeed.—St. VII. p. 10. " The bounds which we call Saint Hubert's hounds, are commonly all blackc,yet nevertheless, their race is so mingled at these days, that we find them of all colours. These are the hounds which the abbots of St Hubert haue always kept some of their race or kind, in honour or remembrance of the saint, which was a hunter with S. Eustace. Whereupon we may conceiue that (by the grace of God) all good huntsmen shall follow them into paradise. To returne vnto my former purpose, this kind of dogges hath'becne dispersed thorough the countries of Henault, Lorayne, Flaunders, and Burgoyne. They are mighty of body, neuertheless their legges are low and short, likewise they are not swift, although they be very good of sent, hunting chaces...« less