,,folklore ,,of ,,scottish ,,lochs ,,and ,,springs4 ,,by ,,james ,m4 ,,mackinlay1 ,m4,a41 ,f4,s4,a4,scot4 ,,glasgow3 ,,william ,,hodge ,co4 #ahic4 ,,prefatory ,,note4 ,no work giving a comprehensive account of ,well-worship in ,scotland has yet appeared4 ,mr4 ,r4 ,c4 ,hope's recent volume1 ,holy ,wells3 ,their ,legends and ,traditions1 discusses the subject in its relation to ,england4 ,in the following pages an attempt has been made to illustrate the more outstanding facts associated with the cult north of the ,tweed4 ,various holy wells are referred to by name2 but the list makes no claim to be exhaustive4 ,j4 ,m4 ,m4 #d ,westbourne ,gardens1 ,glasgow1 ,december1 #ahic4 ,,contents4 ,,chap4 ,,page ,i4 ,worship of ,water1 #a ,,ii4 ,how ,water became ,holy1 #bd ,,iii4 ,saints and ,springs1 #ci ,,iv4 ,more ,saints and ,springs1 #ef ,v4 ,stone ,blocks and ,saints' ,springs1 #gb ,,vi4 ,healing and ,holy ,wells1 #hf ,,vii4 ,water-,cures1 #ajh ,,viii4 ,some ,wonderful ,wells1 #abh ,,ix4 ,witness of ,water1 #adj ,x4 ,water-,spirits1 #aee ,,xi4 ,more ,water-,spirits1 #aga ,,xii4 ,offerings at ,lochs and ,springs1 #ahh ,,xiii4 ,weather and ,wells1 #bac ,,xiv4 ,trees and ,springs1 #bcj ,,xv4 ,charm-,stones in and out of ,water1 #bda ,,xvi4 ,pilgrimages to ,wells1 #bfc ,,xvii4 ,sun-,worship and ,well-,worship1 #bhj ,,xviii4 ,wishing-,wells1 #cad ,,xix4 ,meaning of ,marvels1 #cbd ,among the works consulted are the following1 the titles being given in alphabetical order3-- ,a ,description of the ,western ,islands of ,scotland4 ,by ,john ,mac,culloch1 ,m4,d4 #ahai4 ,a ,description of the ,western ,islands4 ,by ,m4 ,martin4 ,circa #afie4 ,a ,handbook of ,weather ,folklore4 ,by the ,rev4 ,c4 ,swainson1 ,m4,a4 ,a ,historical ,account of the belief in ,witchcraft in ,scotland4 ,by ,charles ,kirkpatrick ,sharpe4 ,a ,journey through the ,western ,counties of ,scotland4 ,by ,robert ,heron4 #agii4 ,ancient ,legends3 ,mystic ,charms and ,superstitions of ,ireland4 ,by ,lady ,wilde4 ,an ,etymological ,dictionary of the ,scottish ,language4 ,by ,john ,jamieson1 ,d4,d4 ,annals of ,dunfermline and ,vicinity4 ,by ,ebenezer ,henderson1 ,,ll4,d4 ,antiquities and ,scenery of the ,north of ,scotland4 ,by ,rev4 ,charles ,cordiner4 #aghj4 ,archological ,sketches in ,scotland3 ,districts of ,kintyre and ,knapdale4 ,by ,captain ,t4 ,p4 ,white4 ,a ,tour in ,scotland and ,voyage to the ,hebrides1 ,,mdcclxxii4 ,by ,thomas ,pennant4 ,a ,tour in ,scotland1 ,,mdcclxix4 ,by ,thomas ,pennant4 ,britannia2 or1 ,a ,chorographical ,description of the ,flourishing ,kingdoms of ,england1 ,scotland1 and ,ireland1 and the ,islands adjacent1 from the ,earliest ,antiquity4 ,by ,william ,camden4 ,translated from the edition published by the ,author in ,,mdcvii4 ,enlarged by the latest discoveries by ,richard ,gough4 ,the second edition in four volumes4 #ahjf4 ,celtic ,heathendom4 ,by ,professor ,john ,rhys4 ,celtic ,scotland3 ,a ,history of ,ancient ,alban4 ,by ,william ,forbes ,skene4 ,churchlore ,gleanings4 ,by ,t4 ,f4 ,thiselton ,dyer4 ,daemonologie in ,forme of a ,dialogve4 ,written by the ,high and ,mightie ,prince ,james1 by the ,grace of ,god ,king of ,england1 ,scotland1 ,france1 and ,ireland2 ,defender of the ,faith4 #afjc4 ,descriptive ,notices of some of the ,ancient ,parochial and ,collegiate ,churches of ,scotland4 ,by ,t4 ,s4 ,muir4 ,domestic ,annals of ,scotland from the ,reformation to the ,revolution4 ,by ,robert ,chambers1 ,,ll4,d4 ,ecclesiological ,notes on some of the ,islands of ,scotland4 ,by ,t4 ,s4 ,muir4 ,english ,folklore4 ,by the ,rev4 ,t4 ,f4 ,thiselton ,dyer1 ,m4,a4 ,essays in the ,study of ,folk ,songs4 ,by the ,countess ,evelyn ,martinengo-,cesaresco4 ,ethnology in ,folklore4 ,by ,g4 ,l4 ,gomme4 ,folklore4 ,folklore ,journal4 ,folklore of ,east ,yorkshire4 ,by ,john ,nicholson4 ,folklore of ,shakespeare4 ,by ,rev4 ,t4 ,f4 ,thiselton ,dyer1 ,m4,a4 ,oxon4 ,folklore2 or1 ,superstitious ,beliefs in the ,west of ,scotland within this ,century4 ,by ,james ,napier1 ,f4,r4,s4,e4 ,gairloch in ,north-west ,ross-shire3 ,its ,records1 ,traditions1 ,inhabitants1 and ,natural ,history4 ,by ,john ,h4 ,dixon4 ,historical and ,statistical ,account of ,dunfermline4 ,by ,rev4 ,peter ,chalmers1 ,a4,m4 ,kalendars of ,scottish ,saints4 ,by the late ,alexander ,penrose ,forbes1 ,bishop of ,brechin4 ,letters from a ,gentleman in the ,north of ,scotland to his ,friend in ,london4 ,burt's ,letters4 #aged4 ,list of ,markets and ,fairs now and formerly held in ,scotland4 ,by ,sir ,james ,david ,marwick1 ,,ll4,d4 ,memorabilia ,domestica2 or1 ,parish ,life in the ,north of ,scotland4 ,by the late ,rev4 ,donald ,sage1 ,a4,m41 ,minister of ,resolis4 ,new ,statistical ,account of ,scotland4 ,circa #ahde4 ,notes and ,queries4 ,notes on the ,folklore of the ,north-east of ,scotland4 ,by the ,rev4 ,walter ,gregor4 ,notes on the ,folklore of the ,northern ,counties of ,england and the ,borders4 ,by ,william ,henderson4 ,observations on ,popular ,antiquities1 including the whole of ,mr4 ,bourne's ,antiquitates ,vulgares4 ,by ,john ,brand1 ,a4,m4 ,old ,glasgow3 ,the ,place and the ,people4 ,by ,andrew ,mac,george4 ,old ,scottish ,customs1 ,local and ,general4 ,by ,e4 ,j4 ,guthrie4 ,ordnance ,gazetteer of ,scotland4 ,edited by ,francis ,h4 ,groome4 ,peasant ,life in ,sweden4 ,by ,l4 ,lloyd4 ,popular ,antiquities of ,great ,britain4 ,by ,john ,brand1 ,m4,a4 ,popular ,romances of the ,west of ,england4 ,by ,robert ,hunt1 ,f4,r4,s4 ,popular ,tales of the ,west ,highlands4 ,by ,j4 ,f4 ,campbell4 ,pre-historic ,annals of ,scotland4 ,by ,daniel ,wilson1 ,,ll4,d4 ,pre-historic ,man4 ,by ,daniel ,wilson1 ,,ll4,d4 ,primitive ,culture4 ,by ,edward ,b4 ,tylor1 ,d4,c4,l4 ,proceedings of the ,society of ,antiquaries of ,scotland4 ,old ,series1 #ahea-ahgh2 ,new ,series1 #ahgh-ahia4 ,rambles in the ,far ,north4 ,by ,r4 ,menzies ,fergusson4 ,scenes and ,legends of the ,north of ,scotland2 or1 ,the ,traditional ,history of ,cromarty4 ,by ,hugh ,miller4 ,scotland in ,early ,christian ,times4 ,by ,joseph ,anderson1 ,,ll4,d4 ,scotland in ,pagan ,times3 ,the ,bronze and ,iron ,ages4 ,by ,joseph ,anderson1 ,,ll4,d4 ,scotland in the ,middle ,ages4 ,by ,professor ,cosmo ,innes4 ,social ,life in ,scotland4 ,by ,charles ,rogers1 ,,ll4,d4 ,statistical ,account of ,scotland4 ,by ,sir ,john ,sinclair4 ,circa #agih4 ,the ,antiquary4 ,the ,archological ,journal4 ,published under the direction of ,the ,council of the ,royal ,archological ,institute of ,great ,britain and ,ireland4 ,the ,book of ,days3 ,a ,miscellany of ,popular ,antiquities in connection with the ,calendar4 ,edited by ,r4 ,chambers4 ,the ,darker ,superstitions of ,scotland4 ,by ,john ,graham ,dalyell4 #ahcd4 ,the ,early ,scottish ,church3 ,ecclesiastical ,history of ,scotland from the ,first to the ,twelfth ,centuries4 ,by the ,rev4 ,thomas ,m',lauchlan4 ,the ,every-,day ,book4 ,by ,william ,hone4 ,the ,folklore of ,plants4 ,by ,t4 ,f4 ,thiselton ,dyer4 ,the ,gentleman's ,magazine ,library--,manners and ,customs4 ,edited by ,g4 ,l4 ,gomme1 ,f4,s4,a4 ,the ,gentleman's ,magazine ,library--,popular ,superstitions4 ,edited by ,g4 ,l4 ,gomme1 ,f4,s4,a4 ,the ,golden ,bough3 ,a ,study in ,comparative ,religion4 ,by ,j4 ,g4 ,frazer1 ,m4,a4 ,the ,history of ,st4 ,cuthbert4 ,by ,charles1 ,archbishop of ,glasgow4 ,the ,history of ,st4 ,kilda4 ,by the ,rev4 ,kenneth ,macaulay1 minister of ,ardnamurchan4 #agfi4 ,the ,legendary ,lore of the ,holy ,wells of ,england1 including ,rivers1 ,lakes1 ,fountains1 and ,springs4 ,by ,r4 ,c4 ,hope1 ,f4,s4,a4 ,the ,origin of ,civilisation4 ,by ,sir ,j4 ,lubbock1 ,bart4 ,the ,past in the ,present4 ,by ,arthur ,mitchell1 ,m4,d41 ,,ll4,d4 ,the ,popular ,rhymes of ,scotland4 ,by ,robert ,chambers4 #ahbf4 ,the ,popular ,superstitions and ,festive ,amusements of the ,highlanders of ,scotland4 ,by ,william ,grant ,stewart4 ,the ,surnames and ,placenames of the ,isle of ,man4 ,by ,a4 ,w4 ,moore1 ,m4,a4 ,traditions1 ,superstitions1 and ,folklore 7chiefly ,lancashire and the ,north of ,england74 ,by ,charles ,hardwick4 ,tree and ,serpent ,worship4 ,by ,james ,fergusson1 ,d4,c4,l41 ,f4,r4,s4 ',twixt ,ben ,nevis and ,glencoe3 ,the ,natural ,history1 ,legends1 and ,folklore of the ,west ,highlands4 ,by the ,rev4 ,alexander ,stewart1 ,,ll4,d4 ,unique ,traditions1 chiefly of the ,west and ,south of ,scotland4 ,by ,john ,gordon ,barbour4 ,wayfaring in ,france4 ,by ,e4 ,h4 ,barker4 ,weather-lore3 ,a ,collection of ,proverbs1 ,sayings1 and ,rules concerning the ,weather4 ,by ,r4 ,inwards1 ,f4,r4,a4,s4 ,witch1 ,warlock1 and ,magician4 ,by ,w4 ,h4 ,davenport ,adams4 ,,folklore ,,of ,,scottish ,,lochs ,,and ,,springs4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,worship ,,of ,,water4 ,archaic ,nature-worship--,deification of ,water ,metaphors--,divination by ,water--,persistence of ,paganism--,shony--,superstitions of ,sailors and ,fishermen--,sea ,serpent--,mer-folk--,sea ,charms--,taking ,animals into the ,sea--,rescuing from ,drowning--,ancient ,beliefs about ,rivers--,dead and ,living ,ford--,clay ,image--,dunskey--,lakes--,dow ,loch--,st4 ,vigeans--,st4 ,tredwell's ,loch--,wells of ,spey and ,drachaldy--,survival of ,well-worship--,disappearance of ,springs--,st4 ,margaret's ,well--,anthropomorphism of ,springs--,celtic ,influence--,cream of the ,well4 ,in glancing at the superstitions connected with ,scottish lochs and springs1 we are called upon to scan a chapter of our social history not yet closed4 ,a somewhat scanty amount of information is available to explain the origin and growth of such superstitions1 but enough can be had to connect them with archaic nature-worship4 ,in the dark dawn of our annals much confusion existed among our ancestors concerning the outer world1 which so strongly appealed to their senses4 ,they had very vague notions regarding the difference between what we now call the ,natural and the ,supernatural4 ,indeed all nature was to them supernatural4 ,they looked on sun1 moon1 and star1 on mountain and forest1 on river1 lake1 and sea as the abodes of divinities1 or even as divinities themselves4 ,these divinities1 they thought1 could either help or hurt man1 and ought therefore to be propitiated4 ,hence sprang certain customs which have survived to our own time4 ,men knocked at the gate of ,nature1 but were not admitted within4 ,from the unknown recesses there came to them only tones of mystery4 ,in ancient times water was deified even by such civilised nations as the ,greeks and ,romans1 and to-day it is revered as a god by untutored savages4 ,sir ,john ,lubbock1 in his ,origin of ,civilisation1 shows1 by reference to the works of travellers1 what a hold this cult still has in regions where the natives have not yet risen above the polytheistic stage of religious development4 ,dr4 ,e4 ,b4 ,tylor forcibly remarks1 in his ,primitive ,culture1 ,what ethnography has to teach of that great element of the religion of mankind1 the worship of well and lake1 brook and river1 is simply this--that what is poetry to us was philosophy to early man2 that to his mind water acted not by laws of force1 but by life and will2 that the water-spirits of primval mythology are as souls which cause the water's rush and rest1 its kindness and its cruelty2 that1 lastly1 man finds in the beings which1 with such power1 can work him weal and woe1 deities with a wider influence over his life1 deities to be feared and loved1 to be prayed to and praised1 and propitiated with sacrificial gifts4 ,in speaking of inanimate objects1 we often ascribe life to them2 but our words are metaphors1 and nothing more4 ,at an earlier time such phrases expressed real beliefs1 and were not simply the outcome of a poetic imagination4 ,keats1 in one of his ,sonnets1 speaks of ,the moving waters at their priest-like task ,of pure ablution round ,earth's human shore4 ,here he gives us the poetical and not the actual interpretation of a natural phenomenon4 ,we may1 if we choose1 talk of the worship of water as a creed outworn1 but it is still with us1 though under various disguises4 ,under the form of rites of divination practised as an amusement by young persons1 such survivals often conceal their real origin4 ,the history of superstition teaches us with what persistence pagan beliefs hold their ground in the midst of a ,christian civilisation4 ,martin1 who visited the ,western ,islands at the close of the seventeenth century1 found how true this was in many details of daily life4 ,a custom connected with ancient sea-worship had been popular among the inhabitants of ,lewis till about thirty-years before his visit1 but had been suppressed by the ,protestant clergy on account of its pagan character4 ,this was an annual sacrifice at ,hallow-tide to a sea god called ,shony4 ,martin gives the following account of the ceremony3--,the inhabitants round the island came to the church of ,st4 ,mulvay1 having each man his provision along with him2 every family furnished a peck of malt1 and this was brewed into ale2 one of their number was picked out to wade into the sea up to the middle1 and1 carrying a cup of ale in his hand1 standing still in that posture1 cried out with a loud voice1 saying1 ',shony1 ,i give you this cup of ale1 hoping that you'll be so kind as to send us plenty of sea-ware for enriching our ground the ensuing year1' and so threw the cup of ale into the sea4 ,this was performed in the night-time4 ,sailors and fishermen still cherish superstitions of their own4 ,majesty is not the only feature of the changeful ocean that strikes them4 ,they are keenly alive to its mystery and to the possibilities of life within its depths4 ,strange creatures have their home there1 the mighty sea serpent and the less formidable mermen and mermaidens4 ,among the ,shetland islands mer-folk were recognised denizens of the sea1 and were known by the name of ,sea-trows4 ,these singular beings dwelt in the caves of ocean1 and came up to disport themselves on the shores of the islands4 ,a favourite haunt of theirs was the ,ve ,skerries1 about seven miles north-west of ,papa-,stour4 ,they usually rose through the water in the shape of seals1 and when they reached the beach they slipped off their skins and appeared like ordinary mortals1 the females being of exceeding beauty4 ,if the skins could be snatched away on these occasions1 their owners were powerless to escape into the sea again4 ,sometimes these creatures were entangled in the nets of fishermen or were caught by hooks4 ,if they were shot when in seal form1 a tempest arose as soon as their blood was mingled with the water of the sea4 ,a family living within recent times was believed to be descended from a human father and a mermaid mother1 the man having captured his bride by stealing her seal's skin4 ,after some years spent on land this sea lady recovered her skin1 and at once returned to her native element4 ,the members of the family were said to have hands bearing some resemblance to the forefeet of a seal4 ,of all the old mythological existences of ,scotland1 remarks ,hugh ,miller1 in his ,scenes and ,legends of the ,north of ,scotland1 there was none with whom the people of ,cromarty were better acquainted than with the mermaid4 ,thirty years have not yet gone by since she has been seen by moonlight sitting on a stone in the sea1 a little to the east of the town2 and scarcely a winter passed1 forty years earlier1 in which she was not heard singing among the rocks or seen braiding up her long yellow tresses on the shore4 ,the magical power ascribed to the sea is shown in an ,orcadian witch charm used in the seventeenth century4 ,the charm had to do with the churning of butter4 ,whoever wished to take advantage of it watched on the beach till nine waves rolled in4 ,at the reflux of the last the charmer took three handfuls of water from the sea and carried them home in a pail4 ,if this water was put into the churn there would be a plentiful supply of butter4 ,sea water was also used for curative purposes1 the patient being dipped after sunset4 ,this charm was thought to savour strongly of the black art4 ,allusion has been made above to the rising of a storm in connection with the wounding of a sea-trow in ,shetland4 ,according to an ,orcadian superstition1 the sea began to swell whenever anyone with a piece of iron about him stept upon a certain rock at the ,noup ,head of ,westray4 ,not till the offending metal was thrown into the water did the sea become calm again4 ,wallace1 a minister at ,kirkwall towards the end of the seventeenth century1 mentions this belief in his ,description of the ,isles of ,orkney1 and says that he offered a man a shilling to try the experiment1 but the offer was refused4 ,it does not seem to have occurred to him to make the experiment himself4 ,among the ancient ,romans the bull was sacred to ,neptune1 the sea god1 and was sacrificed in his honour4 ,in our own country we find a suggestion of the same rite1 though in a modified form1 in the custom prevailing at one time of leading animals into the sea on certain festivals4 ,in the parish of ,clonmany in ,ireland it was formerly customary on ,st4 ,columba's ,day1 the ninth of ,june1 to drive cattle to the beach and swim them in the sea near to where the water from the ,saint's well flowed in4 ,in ,scotland horses seem at one time to have undergone a similar treatment at ,lammas-tide4 ,dalyell1 in his ,darker ,superstitions of ,scotland1 mentions that in ,july1 #afdg1 the kirk-session of ,st4 ,cuthbert's ,church1 ,edinburgh1 resolved on intimating publicly 'that non goe to ,leith on ,lambmes-day1 nor tak their horses to be washed that day in the sea4' ,a belief at one time existed that it was unlucky to rescue a drowning man from the grasp of the sea4 ,this superstition is referred to by ,sir ,walter ,scott in ,the ,pirate1 in the scene where ,bryce the pedlar warns ,mordaunt against saving a shipwrecked sailor4 ,are you mad1 said the pedlar1 you that have lived sae lang in ,zetland1 to risk the saving of a drowning man8 ,wot ye not1 if you bring him to life again1 he will be sure to do you some capital injury8 ,we discover the key to this strange superstition in the idea entertained by savages that the person falling into the water becomes the prey of the monster or demon inhabiting that element2 and1 as ,dr4 ,tylor aptly remarks1 to save a sinking man is to snatch a victim from the very clutches of the water-spirit--a rash defiance of deity which would hardly pass unavenged4 ,folklore thus brings us face to face with beliefs which owe their origin to the primitive worship of the sea4 ,it also allows us to catch a glimpse of rivers1 lakes1 and springs as these were regarded by our distant ancestors4 ,when we remember that1 according to a barbaric notion1 the current of a stream flows down along one bank and up along the other1 we need not be surprised that very crude fancies concerning water at one time flourished in our land4 ,even to us1 with nineteenth-century science within reach1 how mysterious a river seems1 as1 in the quiet gloaming or in the grey dawn1 it glides along beneath overhanging trees1 and how full of life it is when1 swollen by rain1 it rushes forward in a resistless flood6 ,how much more awe-inspiring it must have been to men ignorant of the commonest laws of ,nature6 ,well might its channel be regarded as the home of a spirit eager to waylay and destroy the too-venturesome passer-by4 ,rivers1 however1 were not always reckoned the enemies of man1 for experience showed that they were helpful1 as well as hurtful1 to him4 ,the ,tiber1 for instance1 was regarded with reverence by the ancient inhabitants of ,rome4 ,who does not remember the scene in one of ,macaulay's ,lays1 where1 after the bridge has been hewn down to block the passage of ,lars ,porsena and his host1 the valiant ,horatius exclaims-- ,o ,tiber6 father ,tiber6 ,to whom the ,romans pray2 ,a ,roman's life1 a ,roman's arms1 ,take thou in charge this day8 ,then with his harness on his back he plunges headlong into the flood1 and reaches the other side in safety4 ,in ,christian art pagan symbolism continued long to flourish4 ,proof of this bearing on the present subject is to be found in a mosaic at ,ravenna1 of the sixth century1 representing the baptism of ,christ4 ,the water flows from an inverted urn1 held by a venerable figure typifying the river god of the ,jordan1 with reeds growing beside his head1 and snakes coiling around it4 ,in our own country healing virtue was attributed to water taken from what was called a dead and living ford1 i4e41 a ford where the dead were carried and the living walked across4 ,the same belief was entertained with regard to the water of a south-running stream4 ,the patient had to go to the spot and drink the water and wash himself in it4 ,sometimes his shirt was taken by another1 and1 after being dipped in the south-running stream1 was brought back and put wet upon him4 ,a wet shirt was also used as a ,hallowe'en charm to foretell its owner's matrimonial future4 ,the left sleeve of the shirt was to be dipped in a river where three lairds' lands met4 ,it was then to be hung up overnight before the fire4 ,if certain rules were attended to1 the figure of the future spouse would appear and turn the sleeve in order to dry the other side4 ,in the ,highlands the water of a stream was used for purposes of sorcery till quite lately4 ,when any one wished evil to another he made a clay image of the person to be injured1 and placed it in a stream with the head of the image against the current4 ,it was believed that1 as the clay was dissolved by the water1 the health of the person represented would decline4 ,the spell1 however1 would be broken if the image was discovered and removed from the stream4 ,in the counties of ,sutherland and ,ross the practice survived till within the last few years4 ,near ,dunskey1 in the parish of ,portpatrick1 ,wigtownshire1 is a stream which1 at the end of last century1 was much resorted to by the credulous for its health-giving properties4 ,visits were usually paid to it at the change of the moon4 ,it was deemed specially efficacious in the case of rickety children1 whose malady was then ascribed to witchcraft4 ,the patients were washed in the stream1 and then taken to an adjoining cave1 where they were dried4 ,in modern poetry a river is frequently alluded to under the name of its presiding spirit4 ,thus1 in ,comus1 ,milton introduces ,sabrina1 a gentle nymph1 ,that with moist curb sways the smooth ,severn stream1 and tells us that ,the shepherds at their festivals ,carol her goodness loud in rustic lays1 ,and throw sweet garland wreaths into her stream ,of pansies1 pinks1 and gaudy daffodils4 ,lakes have always held an important place in legendary lore4 ,lord ,tennyson has made us familiar with the part played by the ,lady of the ,lake in ,arthurian romance4 ,readers of the ,idylls will recollect it was she who gave to the king the jewelled sword ,excalibur1 and who1 on the eve of his passing1 received it again4 ,the wounded ,arthur thus addresses ,sir ,bedivere3-- ,thou rememberest how1 ,in those old days1 one summer morn1 an arm ,rose up from out the bosom of the lake ,clothed in white samite1 mystic1 wonderful1 ,holding the sword--and how ,i row'd across ,and took it1 and have worn it1 like a king4 ,scottish lochs form a striking feature in the landscape1 and must have been still more fitted to arrest attention in ancient times when our land was more densely wooded than it is now4 ,dr4 ,hugh ,macmillan1 in his ,holidays on ,high ,lands1 alludes to the differences in the appearance of our lochs4 ,there are moorland tarns1 he says1 sullen and motionless as lakes of the dead1 lying deep in sunless rifts1 where the very ravens build no nests1 and where no trace of life or vegetation is seen--associated with many a wild tradition1 accidents of straying feet1 the suicide of love1 guilt1 despair4 ,and there are lochs beautiful in themselves and gathering around them a world of beauty2 their shores fringed with the tasselled larch2 their shallows tesselated with the broad green leaves and alabaster chalices of the water-lily1 and their placid depths mirroring the crimson gleam of the heather hills and the golden clouds overhead4 ,near the top of ,mealfourvounie1 in ,inverness-shire1 is a small lake at one time believed to be unfathomable4 ,how this notion arose it is difficult to say1 for when soundings were taken the depth was found to be inconsiderable4 ,in the parish of ,penpont1 ,dumfriesshire1 about a mile to the south of ,drumlanrig1 is a small sheet of water called the ,dow1 or ,dhu ,loch1 i4e41 ,black ,loch4 ,till towards the end of last century the spot was much frequented for its healing water4 ,a personal visit was not essential4 ,when a deputy was sent he had to bring a portion of the invalid's clothing and throw it over his left shoulder into the loch4 ,he then took up some water in a vessel which he carefully kept from touching the ground4 ,after turning himself round sun-ways he carried the water home4 ,the charm would be broken if he looked back or spoke to anyone by the way4 ,among the people of the district it was a common saying1 when anyone did not respond to the greeting of a passer-by1 that he had been at the ,dow ,loch4 ,pilgrimages to the loch seem to have been specially popular towards the close of the seventeenth century1 for in the year #afie the ,presbytery of ,penpont consulted the ,synod of ,dumfries about the superstitious practices then current4 ,the ,synod1 in response to the appeal1 recommended the clergy of the district to denounce from their pulpits such observances as heathenish in character4 ,there were persons still alive in the beginning of the present century who had seen the offerings1 left by the pilgrims1 floating on the loch or lying on its margin4 ,to the passer-by1 ignorant of the superstitious custom1 it might seem that a rather untidy family washing was in progress4 ,the ,church of ,st4 ,vigeans1 in ,forfarshire1 is well known to antiquaries in connection with its interesting sculptured stones4 ,an old tradition relates that the materials for the building were carried by a water-kelpie1 and that the foundations were laid on large bars of iron4 ,underneath the structure was said to be a deep lake4 ,the tradition further relates that the kelpie prophesied that an incumbent of the church would commit suicide1 and that1 on the occasion of the first communion after1 the church would sink into the lake4 ,at the beginning of the eighteenth century the minister of the parish did commit suicide1 and so strong was the superstition that the sacramental rite was not observed till #agcf4 ,in connection with the event several hundred people took up a position on a neighbouring rising ground to watch what would happen4 ,these spectators have passed away1 but the church remains4 ,st4 ,tredwell's ,loch in ,papa-,westray1 ,orkney1 was at one time very famous1 partly from its habit of turning red whenever anything striking was about to happen to a member of the ,royal ,family1 and partly from its power to work cures4 ,on a small headland on the east of the loch are still to be seen the ruins of ,st4 ,tredwell's ,chapel1 measuring twenty-nine feet by twenty-two1 with walls fully four feet in thickness4 ,on the floor-level about thirty copper coins were found some years ago1 the majority of them being of the reign of ,charles the ,second4 ,at the door of the chapel there was at one time a large heap of stones1 made up of contributions from those who came to pay their vows there4 ,mr4 ,r4 ,m4 ,fergusson1 in his ,rambles in the ,far ,north1 gives the following particulars about the loch3--,in olden times the diseased and infirm people of the ,north ,isles were wont to flock to this place and get themselves cured by washing in its waters4 ,many of them walked round the shore two or three times before entering the loch itself to perfect by so doing the expected cure4 ,when a person was engaged in this perambulation nothing would induce him to utter a word1 for1 if he spoke1 the waters of this holy loch would lave his diseased body in vain4 ,after the necessary ablutions were performed they never departed without leaving behind them some piece of cloth or bread as a gift to the presiding genius of the place4 ,in the beginning of the eighteenth century popular belief in this water was as strong as ever4 ,superstitions had a vigorous life last century4 ,pennant1 who made his first tour in ,scotland in #agfi1 mentions that the wells of ,spey and ,drachalday1 in ,moray1 were then much visited1 coins and rags being left at them as offerings4 ,nowadays holy wells are probably far from the thoughts of persons living amid the stir and bustle of city life1 but in rural districts1 where old customs linger1 they are not yet forgotten4 ,in the country1 amidst the sights and sounds of nature1 men are prone to cherish the beliefs and ways of their forefathers4 ,practices born in days of darkness thus live on into an era of greater enlightenment4 ,the adoration of wells1 remarks ,sir ,arthur ,mitchell in his ,past in the ,present1 may be encountered in all parts of ,scotland from ,john o' ,groats to the ,mull of ,galloway1 and he adds1 ,i have seen at least a dozen wells in ,scotland which have not ceased to be worshipped4 ,nowadays1 he continues1 the visitors are comparatively few1 and those who go are generally in earnest4 ,they have a serious object which they desire to attain4 ,that object is usually the restoration to health of some poor little child--some 'back-gane bairn4' ,indeed the cure of sick children is a special virtue of many of these wells4 ,anxious mothers make long journeys to some well of fame1 and early in the morning of the #ast of ,may bathe the little invalid in its waters1 then drop an offering into them by the hands of the child--usually a pebble1 but sometimes a coin--and attach a bit of the child's dress to a bush or tree growing by the side of the well4 ,the rags we see fastened to such bushes have often manifestly been torn from the dresses of young children4 ,part of a bib or little pinafore tells the sad story of a sorrowing mother and a suffering child1 and makes the heart grieve that nothing better than a visit to one of these wells had been found to relieve the sorrow and remove the suffering4 ,mr4 ,campbell of ,islay bears witness to the same fact4 ,in his ,tales of the ,west ,highlands he says1 ,holy healing wells are common all over the ,highlands1 and people still leave offerings of pins and nails and bits of rag1 though few would confess it4 ,there is a well in ,islay where ,i myself have1 after drinking1 deposited copper caps amongst a hoard of pins and buttons and similar gear placed in chinks in the rocks and trees at the edge of the ',witches' well4' ,a striking testimony to the persistence of faith in such wells is borne by ,mr4 ,j4 ,r4 ,walker in volume v4 7new series7 of the ,proceedings of the ,society of ,antiquaries of ,scotland1 where he describes an incident that he himself witnessed about ten years ago on the outskirts of ,edinburgh4 ,mr4 ,walker writes1 ,while walking in the ,queen's ,park about sunset1 ,i casually passed ,st4 ,anthony's ,well1 and had my attention attracted by the number of people about it1 all simply quenching their thirst1 some probably with a dim idea that they would reap some benefit from the draught4 ,standing a little apart1 however1 and evidently patiently waiting a favourable moment to present itself for their purpose1 was a group of four4 ,feeling somewhat curious as to their intention ,i quietly kept myself in the background1 and by-and-by was rewarded4 ,the crowd departed and the group came forward1 consisting of two old women1 a younger woman of about thirty1 and a pale sickly-looking girl--a child three or four years old4 ,producing cups from their pockets1 the old women dipped them in the pool1 filled them1 and drank the contents4 ,a full cup was then presented to the younger woman and another to the child4 ,then one of the old women produced a long linen bandage1 dipped it in the water1 wrung it1 dipped it in again1 and then wound it round the child's head1 covering the eyes1 the youngest woman1 evidently the mother of the child1 carefully observing the operation and weeping gently all the time4 ,the other old woman not engaged in this work was carefully filling a clear glass bottle with the water1 evidently for future use4 ,then1 after the principal operators had looked at each other with an earnest and half solemn sort of look1 the party wended its way carefully down the hill4 ,agricultural improvements1 particularly within the present century1 have done much to abolish the adoration of wells4 ,in many cases ancient springs have ceased to exist through draining operations4 ,in the parish of ,urquhart1 ,elginshire1 a priory was founded in #aabe4 ,towards the end of last century the site was converted into an arable field4 ,the name of ,abbey ,well1 given to the spring whence the monks drew water1 long kept alive the memory of the priory2 but in recent times the well itself was filled up4 ,st4 ,mary's ,well1 at ,whitekirk1 in ,haddingtonshire1 has also ceased to be1 its water having been drained off4 ,near ,drumakill1 in ,drymen parish1 ,dumbartonshire1 there was a famous spring dedicated to ,st4 ,vildrin4 ,close to it was a cross two feet and a half in height1 with the figure of the saint incised on it4 ,about thirty years ago1 however1 the relic was broken up and used in the construction of a farmhouse1 and not long after1 the well itself was drained into an adjoining stream4 ,in the middle ages the spring at ,restalrig1 near ,edinburgh1 dedicated to ,st4 ,margaret1 the wife of ,malcolm ,canmore1 was a great attraction to pilgrims4 ,the history of the well is interesting4 ,there is reason to believe that it was originally sacred to the ,holy ,rood2 and tradition connects it with the fountain that gushed out at the spot where a certain hart suddenly vanished from the sight of ,king ,david ,i4 ,mr4 ,walker1 in the volume of the ,proceedings of the ,society of ,antiquaries of ,scotland already referred to1 throws out the suggestion that the well may have had its dedication changed in connection with the translation of ,queen ,margaret's relics about #abea1 on the occasion of her canonization4 ,with regard to the date of the structure forming the covering of the well1 ,mr4 ,walker1 as an architect1 is qualified to give an opinion1 and from an examination of the mason marks on it he is inclined to think that the building was erected about the same time as the west tower of ,holyrood ,abbey ,church1 viz41 about #aagj4 ,the late ,sir ,daniel ,wilson1 in his ,memorials of ,edinburgh in the ,olden ,time1 gives the following account of the structure1 which1 however1 he by mistake describes as octagonal instead of hexagonal3--,the building rises internally to the height of about four and a half feet1 of plain ashlar work1 with a stone ledge or seat running round seven of the sides1 while the eighth is occupied by a pointed arch which forms the entrance to the well4 ,from the centre of the water which fills the whole area of the building1 pure as in the days of the pious queen1 a decorated pillar rises to the same height as the walls1 with grotesque gurgoils1 from which the water has originally been made to flow4 ,above this springs a beautifully groined roof1 presenting1 with the ribs that rise from corresponding corbels at each of the eight angles of the building1 a singularly rich effect when illuminated by the reflected light from the water below4 ,a few years since1 this curious fountain stood by the side of the ancient and little frequented cross-road leading from the ,abbeyhill to the village of ,restalrig4 ,a fine old elder tree1 with its knotted and furrowed branches1 spread a luxuriant covering over its grass-grown top1 and a rustic little thatched cottage stood in front of it1 forming altogether a most attractive object of antiquarian pilgrimage4 ,the spot1 however1 was invaded by the ,north ,british ,railway ,company1 and a station was planted on the site of the elder tree and the rustic cottage1 the spring and its ,gothic covering being imbedded in the buildings4 ,some years later the water disappeared1 having found another channel4 ,the structure was taken down stone by stone and rebuilt above ,st4 ,david's ,spring1 on the north slope of ,salisbury ,crags1 where it still stands4 ,in cases like the above1 man interfered with nature and caused the disappearance of venerated springs4 ,but it was not always so4 ,in the parish of ,logierait1 in ,perthshire1 there was a spring that took the matter into its own hands1 and withdrew from public view4 ,this was the spring called in ,gaelic ,fuaran ,chad1 i4e41 ,chad's ,well4 ,an annual market used to be held close by in honour of the saint1 on the #bbnd ,august4 ,the spring was gratified and bubbled away merrily4 ,the market1 however1 was at length discontinued4 ,in consequence ,fuaran ,chad took offence1 and sent in its resignation4 ,in one instance1 at least1 the belief in the efficacy of a spring survived the very existence of the spring itself4 ,this was so in the case of a healing well near ,buckie1 in ,banffshire1 filled up some years ago by the tenant on whose farm it was situated4 ,so great was its fame that some women whose infants were weakly went to the spot and cleared out the rubbish4 ,water again filled the old basin1 and there the infants were bathed4 ,while being carried home they fell asleep1 and the result was in every way to the satisfaction of the mothers4 ,certain characteristics of water specially recommended it as an object of worship in primval times4 ,its motion and force suggested that it had life1 and hence a soul4 ,men therefore imagined that by due attention to certain rites it would prove a help to them in time of need4 ,what may be called the anthropomorphism of fountains has left traces on popular superstitions4 ,the interest taken by ,st4 ,tredwell's ,loch in the national events has been already alluded to1 and other examples will be noticed in future chapters4 ,one point may be mentioned here1 viz41 the power possessed by wells of removing to another place4 ,st4 ,fillan's ,spring1 at ,comrie1 in ,perthshire1 once took its rise on the top of the hill ,dunfillan1 but tradition says that it quitted its old site for the present one1 at the foot of a rock1 a quarter of a mile further south4 ,in the article on ,comrie in the ,old ,statistical ,account of ,scotland1 the well is described as humbled indeed1 but not forsaken4 ,a more striking instance of flitting is mentioned by ,martin as having occurred in the ,hebrides4 ,in his account of ,islay1 he says1 ,a mile on the south-west side of the cave ,uah ,vearnag is the celebrated well ,toubir-in-,knahar1 which1 in the ancient language1 is as much as to say1 'the well has sailed from one place to another'2 for it is a received tradition of the vulgar inhabitants of this isle1 and the opposite isle of ,colonsay1 that this well was first at ,colonsay until an impudent woman happened to wash her hands in it1 and that immediately after1 the well1 being thus abused1 came in an instant to ,islay1 where it is like to continue1 and is ever since esteemed a catholicon for diseases by the natives and adjacent islanders4 ,perhaps the instance that puts the greatest strain on credulity is that of the spring dedicated to ,st4 ,fergus on the hill of ,knockfergan1 in ,banffshire4 ,tradition reports that this spring came in a miraculous manner from ,italy1 though how it travelled to its quiet retreat in ,scotland we do not know4 ,there must have been some special attraction about the well1 for a market known as the ,well-,market used to be held beside it every year4 ,on one occasion a fight took place about a cheese4 ,in consequence the market was transferred to the neighbouring village of ,tomintoul1 where it continues to be held in ,august1 under the same name4 ,in his ,romances of the ,west of ,england1 the late ,mr4 ,robert ,hunt puts in a plea for the preservation of holy wells and other relics of antiquity1 though he allows that it is a very common notion amongst the peasantry that a just retribution overtakes those who wilfully destroy monuments1 such as stone circles1 crosses1 wells1 and the like1 and he mentions the case of an old man who altered a holy well at ,boscaswell1 in ,st4 ,just1 and was drowned the following day within sight of his house4 ,mr4 ,hunt is speaking of ,cornish wells2 but the same is doubtless true of those north of the ,tweed4 ,springs that can fly through the air and go through certain other wonderful performances can surely be trusted to look after themselves4 ,in hot ,eastern lands1 fountains were held in special reverence4 ,this was to be expected1 as their cooling waters were there doubly welcome4 ,in accounting for the presence of the cult in the temperate zones of ,europe1 we do not need to trace it to the ,east as ,lady ,wilde does in her ,ancient ,legends of ,ireland4 ,it could not have originated1 she says1 in a humid country 444 where wells can be found at every step1 and sky and land are ever heavy and saturated with moisture4 ,it must have come from an ,eastern people1 wanderers in a dry and thirsty land1 where the discovery of a well seemed like the interposition of an angel in man's behalf4 ,in our own land there are no districts where well-worship has held its ground so firmly as those occupied by peoples of ,celtic blood1 such as ,cornwall1 ,wales1 ,ireland1 the ,isle of ,man1 and the ,scottish ,highlands4 ,a curious instance of the survival of water-worship among our ,scottish peasantry was seen in the custom of going at a very early hour on ,new-,year's morning to get a pailful of water from a neighbouring spring4 ,the maidens of the farm had a friendly rivalry as to priority4 ,whoever secured the first pailful was said to get the flower of the well1 otherwise known as the ream or cream of the well4 ,on their way to the spring the maidens commonly chanted the couplet-- ,the flower o' the well to our house gaes1 ,an' ,i'll the bonniest lad get4 ,this referred to the belief that to be first at the well was a good omen of the maiden's matrimonial future4 ,it is a far cry from archaic water-worship to this ,new-,year's love charm1 but we can traverse in thought the road that lies between4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,how ,,water ,,became ,,holy4 ,change from ,paganism to ,christianity--,columba--,spirits of ,fountains--,hurtful ,wells--,stone ,circles--,superstitions regarding them--,standing ,stones and ,springs--,innis ,maree--,maelrubha--,influence of early ,saints--,names of ,wells--,stone-coverings--,sacred ,buildings and ,springs--,privilege of ,sanctuary--,some ,examples--,freedstoll--,preceptory of ,torphichen and ,st4 ,john's ,well--,cross of ,macduff and ,nine-wells4 ,we come next to ask how water became holy in the folklore sense of the word4 ,fortunately we get a glimpse of springs at the very time when they passed from pagan to ,christian auspices4 ,the change made certain differences1 but did not take away their miraculous powers4 ,we get this glimpse in the pages of ,adamnan1 ,st4 ,columba's biographer1 who narrates an incident in connection with the saint's missionary work among the ,picts in the latter half of the sixth century4 ,adamnan tells us of a certain fountain famous among the heathen people1 which the foolish men1 having their senses blinded by the devil1 worshipped as ,god4 ,for those1 who drank of this fountain1 or purposely washed their hands or feet in it1 were allowed by ,god to be struck by demoniacal art1 and went home either leprous or purblind1 or at least suffering from weakness or other kind of infirmity4 ,by all these things the pagans were seduced and paid divine honour to the fountain4 ,columba made use of the popular belief in the interests of the new faith1 and blessed the fountain in the name of ,christ in order to expel the demons4 ,he then took a draught of the water and washed his hands and feet in it1 to show that it could no longer do harm4 ,according to ,adamnan the demons deserted the fountain1 and many cures were afterwards wrought by it4 ,in ,ireland more than a century earlier1 ,st4 ,patrick visited the fountain of ,findmaige1 called ,slan4 ,offerings were wont to be made to it1 and it was worshipped as a god by the ,magi of the district4 ,it is difficult to determine exactly from what standpoint our pagan ancestors regarded wells4 ,the nature-spirits inhabiting them1 styled demons by ,adamnan1 were malignant in disposition1 if we judge by the case he mentions2 but we must not therefore conclude that they were so in every instance4 ,perhaps it is safe to infer that most of them were considered favourable to man1 or the reverse1 according as they were or were not propitiated by him4 ,even in modern times1 some springs have been regarded as hurtful4 ,the well of ,st4 ,chad1 at ,lichfield1 for instance1 causes ague to anyone drinking its water4 ,even its connection with the saint has not removed its hurtful qualities4 ,in west ,highland ,folk-,tales allusion is made to poison wells1 and such are even yet regarded with a certain amount of fear4 ,in the article on the parish of ,kilsyth in the ,old ,statistical ,account of ,scotland1 it is stated that ,kittyfrist ,well1 beside the road leading over the hill to ,stirling1 was believed to be noxious4 ,successive wayfarers1 when tired and heated by their climb up hill1 may have drunk injudiciously of the cold water1 and thus the superstition may have originated4 ,stone circles have given rise to much discussion4 ,they are perhaps best known by their popular name of ,druidical temples4 ,whatever were the other purposes served by them1 there is hardly any doubt that they were primarily associated with interments4 ,dr4 ,joseph ,anderson has pointed out that a certain archological succession can be traced4 ,thus we find first1 burial cairns minus stones round them1 then cairns plus stones1 and finally1 stones minus cairns4 ,at one time there was a widely-spread belief that men could be transformed into standing stones by the aid of magic4 ,this power was attributed to the ,druids4 ,there are also traditions of saints thus settling their heathen opponents4 ,when speaking of the island of ,lewis1 ,martin says1 ,several other stones are to be seen here in remote places1 and some of them standing on one end4 ,some of the ignorant vulgar say that they were men by enchantment turned into stones4 ,such monoliths are still known to the ,gaelic-speaking inhabitants of ,lewis as ,fir ,chreig1 i4e41 false men4 ,we learn from the ,new ,statistical ,account of ,scotland that the two standing stones at ,west ,skeld1 in ,shetland1 were believed by the islanders to have been originally wizards or giants4 ,close to the roadside on ,maughold ,head1 in the ,isle of ,man1 stands an ancient runic cross4 ,a local tradition states that the cross was once an old woman1 who1 when carrying a bundle of wool1 cursed the wind for hindering her on her journey1 and was petrified in consequence4 ,with superstitions thus clinging to standing-stones it is not to be wondered that springs in their neighbourhood should have been regarded with special reverence4 ,in the ,old ,statistical ,account of ,scotland allusion is made to ,tobir-,chalaich1 i4e41 ,old ,wife's ,well1 situated near a stone circle in the parish of ,keith1 ,banffshire1 and to another well not far from a second circle in the same parish4 ,the latter spring ceased to be visited about the middle of last century4 ,till then offerings were left at it by persons seeking its aid4 ,the writer of the article on the island of ,barry1 ,inverness-shire1 in the same work1 says1 ,here1 i4e41 at ,castle-,bay1 there are several ,druidical temples4 ,near one of these is a well which must have been once famous for its medicinal quality1 as also for curing and preventing the effects of fascination4 ,it is called ,tobbar-nam-buadh or the ,well of ,virtues4 ,under the heading ,beltane1 in ,jamieson's ,scottish ,dictionary1 the following occurs3--,a town in ,perthshire1 on the borders of the ,highlands1 is called ,tillie 7or ,tullie7 ,beltane1 i4e41 the eminence or rising ground of the fire of ,baal4 ,in the neighbourhood is a ,druidical temple of eight upright stones1 where it is supposed the fire was kindled4 ,at some distance from this1 is another temple of the same kind1 but smaller1 and near it a well still held in great veneration4 ,on ,beltane morning1 superstitious people go to this well and drink of it1 then they make a procession round it1 as ,i am informed1 nine times2 after this1 they in like manner go round the temple4 ,gallstack ,well1 at ,drumlanrig1 in ,dumfriesshire1 is near a group of standing stones4 ,from examples like the above1 we may infer that some mysterious connection was supposed to exist between standing stones and their adjacent wells4 ,in the ,tullie ,beltane instance indeed1 stones and well were associated together in the same superstitious rite4 ,a striking instance of ,christianity borrowing from paganism is to be seen in the reverence paid to the well of ,innis ,maree1 in ,loch ,maree1 in ,ross-shire4 ,this well has been famous from an unknown past4 ,it is dedicated to ,st4 ,maelrubha1 after whom both loch and island are named4 ,maelrubha belonged to the monastery of ,bangor1 in ,ireland4 ,in the year #fgc1 at the age of thirty-one1 he settled at ,applecrossan1 now ,applecross1 in ,ross-shire1 and there founded a church as the nucleus of a conventual establishment4 ,over this monastery he presided for fifty-one years1 and died a natural death in #gbb4 ,a legend1 disregarding historical probabilities1 relates that he was slain by a band of pagan ,norse rovers1 and that his body was left in the forest to be devoured by wild beasts4 ,his grave is still pointed out in ,applecross churchyard1 the spot being marked by a pillar slab with an antique cross carved on it4 ,for centuries after his death he was regarded as the patron saint1 not only of ,applecross1 but of a wide district around4 ,pennant1 who visited ,innis ,maree in #aggb1 thus describes its appearance3 ,the shores are neat and gravelly2 the whole surface covered thickly with a beautiful grove of oak1 ash1 willow1 wicken1 birch1 fir1 hazel1 and enormous hollies4 ,in the midst is a circular dike of stones1 with a regular narrow entrance1 the inner part has been used for ages as a burial-place1 and is still in use4 ,i suspect the dyke to have been originally ,druidical1 and that the ancient superstition of ,paganism had been taken up by the saint1 as the readiest method of making a conquest over the minds of the inhabitants4 ,a stump of a tree is shown as an altar1 probably the memorial of one of stone2 but the curiosity of the place is the well of the saint2 of power unspeakable in cases of lunacy4 ,whatever ,pennant meant by ,druidical1 there is reason to believe that the spot was the scene of pre-,christian rites4 ,in the popular imagination the outlines of ,maelrubha's character seem to have become mixed up with those of the heathen divinity worshipped in the district4 ,two circumstances point to this4 ,firstly1 as ,sir ,arthur ,mitchell remarks in the fourth volume of the ,proceedings of the ,society of ,antiquaries of ,scotland1 ,the people of the place speak often of the ,god ,mourie instead of ,st4 ,mourie1 which may have resulted from his having supplanted the old god4 ,secondly1 as the same writer shows1 by reference to old kirk session records1 it was customary in the parish to sacrifice a bull to ,st4 ,mourie4 ,this was done on the saint's day1 the #beth of ,august4 ,the practice was still in existence in the latter half of the #agth century1 and was then denounced as idolatrous4 ,we thus see that the sacredness of springs can be traced back through ,christianity to paganism1 though there is no doubt that in some instances it took its rise from association with early saints4 ,in deciding the question of origin1 however1 care must be taken1 for1 as already indicated1 the reverence anciently paid to wells led to their selection by the early missionaries4 ,the holy wells throughout the land keep alive their names4 ,an excellent example of a saint's influence on a particular district is met with in the case of ,st4 ,angus1 at ,balquhidder1 in ,perthshire4 ,in his ,notes in ,balquhidder in the ,proceedings of the ,society of ,antiquaries of ,scotland1 vol4 ix4 7new series71 ,mr4 ,j4 ,mackintosh ,gow remarks1 ,saint ,angus1 the patron saint of the district1 is said to have come to the glen from the eastward1 and to have been so much struck with its marvellous beauty that he blessed it4 ,the remains of the stone on which he sat to rest are still visible in the gable of one of the farm buildings at ,easter ,auchleskine1 and the turn of the road is yet called ',beannachadh ,aonghais' 7,angus's blessing74 ,at this spot it was the custom in the old days for people going westward to show their respect for the saint by repeating1 ',beannaich ,aonghais ann san ,aoraidh' 7,bless ,angus in the oratory or chapel71 at the same time reverently taking off their bonnets4 ,the saint1 going west1 had settled at a spot below the present kirk1 and near to a stone circle1 the remains of which1 and of the oratory1 persons now living remember to have seen4 ,after alluding to another stone circle in a haugh below the parish church manse1 ,mr4 ,gow mentions that this haugh is the stance of the old market of ,balquhidder1 long a popular one in the district4 ,it was held on the saint's day in ,april and named ,feill-,aonghais1 after him4 ,in the immediate neighbourhood there is a knoll called ,tom ,aonghais1 i4e41 ,angus's hillock4 ,in the grounds of ,edinchip there is a curing well called in ,gaelic1 ,fuaran n'druibh chasad1 i4e41 the ,whooping-cough ,well1 beside the burn ,alt cean dhroma4 ,it is formed of a water-worn pot hole in the limestone rock which forms the bed of the burn1 and is ten or twelve inches in diameter at the top and six inches deep4 ,there must be a spring running into the hollow through a fissure1 as no sooner is it emptied than it immediately refills1 and contains about two quarts of water4 ,the well can easily be distinguished by the large moss-covered boulder1 round and flat1 like a crushed ball1 and about seven feet in diameter1 which overshadows it1 and a young ash tree of several stems growing by its side4 ,this well was famous for the cure of whooping-cough1 and children were brought to it till within recent years4 ,the water was given in a spoon made from the horn of a living cow4 ,when the patients could not visit the spring in person1 a bottleful of the healing liquid was taken to their homes1 and there administered4 ,the district round the lower waters of ,loch ,awe1 now comprising the united parishes of ,glenorchy and ,inishail was held to be under the patronage of ,connan4 ,there is a well at ,dalmally dedicated to him4 ,according to a local tradition he dwelt beside the well and blessed its water4 ,in addition to springs named after particular saints1 there are some bearing the general appellation of ,saints' ,wells or ,holy ,wells4 ,there are ,holy ,rood and ,holy ,wood ,wells1 also ,holy ,trinity and ,chapel ,wells4 ,there are likewise ,priors'1 ,monks'1 ,cardinals'1 ,bishops'1 ,priests'1 ,abbots'1 and ,friars' ,wells4 ,various springs have names pointing to no ecclesiastical connection whatever4 ,to this class belong those known as ,virtue ,wells1 and those others named from the various diseases to be cured by them4 ,on the ,rutherford estate1 in the parish of ,west ,linton1 ,peeblesshire1 there is a mineral spring called ,heaven-aqua ,well4 ,considering the name1 one might form great expectations as to its virtues4 ,there is much force in the remarks of ,dr4 ,j4 ,hill ,burton1 in his ,book ,hunter4 ,he says1 ,the unnoticeable smallness of many of these consecrated wells makes their very reminiscence and still semi-sacred character all the more remarkable4 ,the stranger in ,ireland1 or the ,highlands of ,scotland1 hears rumours of a distinguished well1 miles on miles off4 ,he thinks he will find an ancient edifice over it1 or some other conspicuous adjunct4 ,nothing of the kind4 ,he has been lured all that distance1 over rock and bog1 to see a tiny spring bubbling out of the rock1 such as he may see hundreds of in a tolerable walk any day4 ,yet1 if he search in old topographical authorities1 he will find that the little well has ever been an important feature of the district2 that century after century it has been unforgotten2 and1 with diligence he may perhaps trace it to some incident in the life of the saint1 dead more than #abjj years ago1 whose name it bears4 ,there are a few wells with a more or less ornamental stone covering1 such as ,st4 ,margaret's ,well1 in the ,queen's ,park1 ,edinburgh1 and ,st4 ,michael's ,well1 at ,linlithgow4 ,st4 ,ninian's ,well1 at ,stirling1 and also at ,kilninian1 in ,mull2 ,st4 ,ashig's ,well1 in ,skye2 ,st4 ,peter's ,well1 at ,houston1 in ,renfrewshire2 ,holy ,rood ,well1 at ,stenton1 in ,haddingtonshire2 and the ,well of ,spa1 at ,aberdeen1 also belong to this class4 ,as already indicated1 standing stones and the wells near them were associated together in the same ritual act4 ,a curious parallelism can be traced between this practice and one connected with ,christian places of worship4 ,near the ,butt of ,lewis are the ruins of a chapel anciently dedicated to ,st4 ,mulvay1 and known in the district as ,teampull-mr4 ,the spot was till quite lately the scene of rites connected with the cure of insanity4 ,the patient was made to walk seven times round the ruins1 and was then sprinkled with water from ,st4 ,ronan's ,well hard by4 ,in ,orkney it was believed that invalids would recover health by walking round the ,cross-kirk of ,wasbister and the adjoining loch in silence before sunrise4 ,in some instances sacred sites were walked round without reference to wells1 and1 in others1 wells without reference to sacred sites4 ,but when the two were neighbours they were often included in the same ceremony4 ,in the early days when ,christianity was preached1 the structures of the new faith were occasionally planted close to groups of standing stones1 and it may be assumed that in some instances1 at least1 the latter served to supply materials for building the former4 ,even in our own day it is not uncommon for ,highlanders to speak of going to the clachan1 i4e41 the stones1 to indicate that they are going to church4 ,the reverence paid to the pagan sites was thus transferred to the ,christian1 and any fountain in the vicinity received a large share of such reverence4 ,in former times1 both south and north of the ,tweed1 churches and churchyards were regarded with special veneration as affording an asylum to offenders against the law4 ,in ,england the ,right of ,sanctuary was held in great respect during ,anglo-,saxon times1 and after the ,norman ,conquest laws were passed regulating the privileges of such shelters4 ,when a robber or murderer was pursued1 he was free from capture if he could reach the sacred precincts4 ,but he had to enter unarmed4 ,his stay there was only temporary4 ,after going through certain formalities he was allowed to travel1 cross in hand1 to some neighbouring seaport to quit his country for ever4 ,in the reign of ,henry ,,viii41 however1 a statute was passed forbidding criminals thus to leave their native land on the ground that they would disclose state secrets1 and teach archery to the enemies of the realm4 ,in the north of ,england1 ,durham and ,beverley contained noted sanctuaries4 ,in various churches there was a stone seat called the ,freedstoll or ,stool of ,peace1 on which the criminal1 when seated1 was absolutely safe4 ,such a seat1 dating from the ,norman period1 is still to be seen in the ,priory ,church at ,hexham1 where the sanctuary was in great request by fugitives from the debatable land between ,england and ,scotland4 ,the only other ,freedstoll still to be found in ,england is in ,beverley ,minster4 ,the ,right of ,sanctuary was formally abolished in ,england in the reign of ,james ,i41 but did not cease to be respected till much later4 ,such being the regard in the middle ages for churches and their burying-grounds1 it is easy to understand why fountains in their immediate neighbourhood were also reverenced4 ,several sanctuaries north of the ,tweed were specially famous4 ,in his ,scotland in the ,middle ,ages1 ,professor ,cosmo ,innes remarks1 ,though all were equally sacred by the canon1 it would seem that the superior sanctity of some churches1 from the relics presented there1 or the reverence of their patron saints1 afforded a surer asylum1 and thus attracted fugitives to their shrines rather than to the altars of common parish churches4 ,the churches of ,stow1 ,innerleithen1 and ,tyningham were asylums at one time specially favoured4 ,the church on ,st4 ,charmaig's ,island1 in the ,sound of ,jura--styled also ,eilean ,mr or the ,great ,island--was formerly a noted place of refuge among the ,inner ,hebrides4 ,so much sanctity attached to the church of ,applecross that the privileged ground around it extended six miles in every direction4 ,in connection with his visit to ,arran1 ,martin thus describes what had once been a sanctuary in that island3 ,there is an eminence of about a thousand paces in compass on the sea-coast in ,druim-cruey village1 and it is fenced about with a stone wall2 of old it was a sanctuary1 and whatever number of men or cattle could get within it were secured from the assaults of their enemies1 the place being privileged by universal consent4 ,the enclosure was probably an ancient burying-ground4 ,the ,knights of ,st4 ,john of ,jerusalem1 otherwise known as the ,knights of ,rhodes1 and also as the ,hospitallers1 received recognition in ,scotland as an ,order about the middle of the twelfth century4 ,they had possessions in almost every county1 but their chief seat was at ,torphichen1 in ,linlithgowshire1 where the ruins of their preceptory can still be seen4 ,this preceptory formed the heart of the famous sanctuary of ,torphichen4 ,in the graveyard stands a stone1 resembling an ordinary milestone with a ,maltese cross carved on its top4 ,all the ground enclosed in a circle1 having a radius of one mile from this stone1 formed a sanctuary for criminals and debtors4 ,other four stones placed at the cardinal points showed the limits of the sanctuary on their respective sides4 ,at some distance to the east of the preceptory is ,st4 ,john's ,well1 to which1 the writer of the article in the ,new ,statistical ,account of ,scotland says1 the ,knights of ,st4 ,john used to go in days of yore for a morning draught2 and he adds1 whether its virtues were medicinal or of a more hallowed character tradition can not exactly inform us1 but still its waters are thought to possess peculiar healing powers1 if not still rarer qualities which operate in various cases as a charm4 ,perhaps no ,scottish sanctuary has been more talked about than the one at ,holyrood ,abbey1 intended originally for law-breakers in general1 but latterly for debtors only4 ,de ,quincey found a temporary home within its precincts4 ,through recent legislation1 chiefly through the ,debtors 7,scotland7 ,act of #ahhj1 the sanctuary has been rendered unnecessary1 and its privileges1 though never formally abolished1 have accordingly passed away4 ,in a pass of the ,ochils1 near ,newburgh1 overlooking ,strathearn1 is a block of freestone three and a half feet high1 four and a half feet long1 and nearly four feet broad at the base4 ,this formed the pedestal of the celebrated cross of ,macduff1 and is all that remains of that ancient monument4 ,the shaft of the cross was destroyed at the time of the ,reformation1 in the sixteenth century4 ,in former days the spot was held to be a privilege and liberty of girth4 ,when anyone claiming kinship to ,macduff1 ,earl of ,fife1 within the ninth degree committed slaughter in hot blood and took refuge at the cross1 he could atone for his crime by the payment of nine cows and a colpindach or year-old cow4 ,those who could not make good their kinship were slain on the spot4 ,certain ancient burial mounds1 at one time to be seen in the immediate neighbourhood1 were popularly believed to be the graves of those who thus met their death1 and a local superstition asserted that their shrieks could be heard by night4 ,a fountain1 known as the ,nine ,wells1 gushes out not far from the site of the cross1 and in it tradition says that the manslayer who was entitled to claim the privilege of sanctuary washed his hands1 thereby freeing himself from the stain of blood4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,saints ,,and ,,springs4 ,columba's ,miracle--,his ,wells--,deer--,drostan's ,springs--,his ,relics--,his ,fairs--,his ,connection with ,caithness--,urquhart--,adamnan--,his ,wells--,tom ,eunan--,feil ,columcille--,adamnan's ,visit to ,northumbria--,his ,church ,dedications--,kieran--,his ,cave--,campbeltown--,book of the ,gospels--,kieran's ,church at ,errigall-keroge--,his ,wells--,bridget--,her ,legend--,bridewell--,bridget's ,wells--,abernethy--,torranain--,ninian- -,his ,influence--,his ,cave--,candida ,casa--,ninian and ,martin--,ninian's ,springs--,st4 ,martin's ,well--,martinmas--,martin of ,bullion's ,day--,bullion ,well--,kentigern--,fergus--,arbores ,sancti ,kentigerni--,his ,wells--,thanet ,well--,st4 ,enoch's ,well--,cuthbert--,his ,wells and ,bath--,his ,career--,palladius--,his ,miracle--,paldy's ,well and ,paldy's ,fair--,his ,chapel--,ternan--,his ,wells--,church of ,arbuthnot--,brendan--,bute--,kilbrandon ,sound--,well at ,barra--,boyndie and ,cullen--,machar--,his ,cathedral and ,well--,tobar-,mhachar--,constantine--,g ovan--,kilchouslan ,church--,st4 ,cowstan's ,well--,serf--,area of his ,influence4 ,the annals of hagiology are full of the connection between saints and springs4 ,on one occasion a child was brought to ,columba for baptism1 but there was no water at hand for the performance of the rite4 ,the saint knelt in prayer opposite a neighbouring rock1 and rising1 blessed the face of the rock4 ,water immediately gushed forth1 and with it the child was baptised4 ,adamnan1 who tells the story1 says that the child was ,lugucencalad1 whose parents were from ,artdaib-muirchol 7,ardnamurchan71 where there is seen even to this day a well called by the name of ,st4 ,columba4 ,there are many wells in ,scotland named after him4 ,as might be expected1 one of these is in ,iona4 ,almost all are along the west coast and in the ,hebrides4 ,the name of ,kirkcolm1 in ,wigtownshire1 signifies the ,church of ,columba4 ,the parish contains a fountain dedicated to him1 known as ,corswell or ,crosswell1 from which the castle headland and lighthouse of ,corsewall have derived their name4 ,a certain amount of sanctity still clings to the fountain4 ,macaulay1 in his ,history of ,st4 ,kilda published in #agfd1 describes a spring there called by the inhabitants ,toberi-,clerich1 the cleric in question being1 according to him1 ,columba4 ,this well1 he says1 is below the village1 444 and gushes out like a torrent from the face of a rock4 ,at every full tide the sea overflows it1 but how soon that ebbs away1 nothing can be fresher or sweeter than the water4 ,it was natural enough for the ,st4 ,kildians to imagine that so extraordinary a phenomenon must have been the effect of some supernatural cause1 and one of their teachers would have probably assured them that ,columba1 the great saint of their island and a mighty worker of miracles1 had destroyed the influence which1 according to the established laws of nature1 the sea should have had on that water4 ,this spring resembles one in the parish of ,tain1 in ,ross-shire1 known as ,st4 ,mary's ,well4 ,the latter is covered several hours each day by the sea1 but when the tide retires its fresh1 sweet water gushes forth again4 ,according to an old tradition1 ,drostan1 a nephew of ,columba1 accompanied the latter when on a journey from ,iona to ,deer in ,buchan1 about the year #ehj1 and was the first abbot of the monastery established there4 ,the name of the place1 according to the ,book of ,deer1 was derived from the tears 7in ,gaelic1 der or deur1 a tear71 shed by ,drostan on the departure of his uncle4 ,in reality1 the name comes from the ,gaelic dair1 signifying an oak4 ,there are five springs dedicated to ,drostan4 ,they are all in the east country1 between ,edzell and ,new ,aberdour4 ,at the latter place his relics were preserved1 and miracles of healing were wrought at his tomb4 ,the spring near ,invermark ,castle is popularly known as ,droustie's ,well4 ,a market1 called ,st4 ,drostan's ,fair1 is still held annually at ,old ,deer in ,december4 ,insch1 in ,aberdeenshire1 has also a ,st4 ,drostan's ,fair4 ,drostan was reverenced in ,caithness1 where he was tutelar saint of the parishes of ,halkirk and ,canisbay4 ,in ,the ,early ,scottish ,church the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,m',lauchlan mentions that ,urquhart in ,inverness-shire1 was called ,urchudain1 ,maith ,dhrostan1 i4e41 ,st4 ,drostan's ,urquhart4 ,adamnan1 ,columba's biographer1 became abbot of ,iona in #fgi1 and died there in #gjd4 ,there are wells to him at ,dull1 in ,perthshire1 and at ,forglen in ,banffshire4 ,his name occurs in ,scottish topography1 but shortened1 and under various disguises4 ,in the form of ,st4 ,oyne he has a well in ,rathen parish1 ,aberdeenshire1 where there is a mound--probably an ancient fortified site--also called ,st4 ,oyne's4 ,about six miles north-east of ,kingussie1 in ,inverness-shire1 is the church of the quoad sacra parish of ,inch1 on a knoll projecting into the loch of the same name4 ,the knoll is called ,tom ,eunan1 i4e41 the hill of ,adamnan1 to whom the church was dedicated4 ,within the building is still to be seen a fine specimen of the four-cornered bronze bell used in the early ,celtic church4 ,according to a local tradition it was once carried off1 but kept calling out1 ,tom ,eunan6 ,tom ,eunan6 till brought back to its home4 ,we find that ,adamnan and ,columba were associated together in the district4 ,an annual gathering1 at one time held there in honour of the latter1 was named ,feil ,columcille1 i4e41 ,columba's ,fair1 and was much resorted to4 ,women usually appeared on the occasion in white dresses in token of baptism4 ,an old woman1 who died in #ahhb1 at the age of ninety1 was in the habit of showing the white dress worn by her in her young days at the fair4 ,it finally served her as a shroud4 ,adamnan visited the ,northumbrian court when ,egfrid was king4 ,his errand was one of peace-making2 for he went to procure the release of certain ,irish captives who had been made prisoners by ,egfrid1 ,during his stay in ,northumbria he became a convert to the ,roman view as against the ,celtic in the two burning questions of that age1 viz41 the time for holding ,easter1 and the nature of the tonsure4 ,though he did not get his friends in ,scotland to see eye to eye with him on these points1 he seems to have been generally popular north of the ,tweed4 ,eight churches at least were dedicated to him1 mainly in the east country between ,forvie1 in ,aberdeenshire1 and ,dalmeny1 in ,west ,lothian4 ,one of these dedications was at ,aboyne4 ,skeulan ,well there contains ,adamnan's name in a corrupted form4 ,kieran1 belonging like ,columba to the sixth century1 was also like him from ,ireland4 ,he selected a cave some four miles from ,campbeltown as his dwelling-place1 and there led the life of an ascetic4 ,he died in #edc in his thirty-fourth year4 ,pennant thus describes the cave3--,it is in the form of a cross1 with three fine ,gothic porticoes for entrances1 444 had formerly a wall at the entrance1 a second about the middle1 and a third far up1 forming different apartments4 ,on the floor is the capital of a cross and a round basin cut out of the rock1 full of fine water1 the beverage of the saint in old times1 and of sailors in the present1 who often land to dress their victuals beneath this shelter4 ,this basin is more minutely described by ,captain ,t4 ,p4 ,white in his ,archological ,sketches in ,scotland4 ,he says1 ,there is a small basin1 nearly oval in shape1 neatly scooped out of a block1 two feet long by one and a half wide1 which exactly underlies a drip of water from the roof of the cave4 ,the water supply is said never to have failed and always to keep the little basin full4 ,tradition calls it the saint's font or holy well4 ,kieran is commemorated in ,kinloch-,kilkerran1 the ancient name of the parish of ,campbeltown4 ,the word means literally the head of the loch of ,kieran's cell4 ,on one occasion ,kieran dropped his book of the ,gospels into a lake4 ,sometime after it was recovered in an uninjured state through the instrumentality of a cow4 ,the cow went into the water to cool itself1 and brought out the volume attached to its hoof4 ,another bovine association is connected with the building of ,st4 ,kieran's ,church on a hill at ,errigall-keroge1 in ,county ,tyrone1 ,ireland4 ,the saint had an ox which1 during the day1 drew the materials for the building1 and in the evening was slaughtered to feed the workmen4 ,the bones were thrown each evening into a well at the foot of the hill1 and1 morning by morning1 the accommodating animal appeared ready for the day's work4 ,the well is still held to be miraculous4 ,there is a spring dedicated to ,kieran at ,drumlithie1 in ,glenbervie parish1 ,kincardineshire1 and another at ,stonehaven1 in the same county4 ,there is one in ,troqueer parish1 ,kirkcudbrightshire1 locally known as ,st4 ,jergon's or ,st4 ,querdon's ,well1 these names being simply an altered form of ,kieran4 ,bridget or ,bride1 an ,irish saint1 was popular in ,scotland4 ,she received baptism from ,patrick1 and died in #ebe after a life of great sanctity4 ,she was celebrated as a worker of miracles4 ,she made a cow supply an enormous quantity of milk to satisfy the wants of three thirsty bishops who came to visit her4 ,she also cured diseases4 ,on one occasion two men suffering from leprosy came to her to be healed4 ,she made the sign of the cross over water1 and told them to wash in it4 ,one of the two did so and was instantly restored to health2 but1 refusing to help the other1 he at once became leprous again1 while his companion was as suddenly made whole4 ,on another occasion she used the sign of the cross to stay a company bent on the capture of a maiden who had sought refuge in the saint's nunnery4 ,perhaps her most wonderful miracle was the hanging of her gown on a sunbeam1 a somewhat unusual cloak-peg1 and one that1 from the nature of the case1 had not to be sought in a dark press4 ,her principal monastery was at ,kildare1 so named after the oak 7dair7 under whose shade her cell was built4 ,adjoining ,st4 ,bride's ,churchyard in ,london is a spring dedicated to the saint1 and popularly styled ,bride's ,well4 ,the palace built in the immediate neighbourhood went by the name of ,bridewell4 ,it was handed over by ,edward ,,vi4 to the city of ,london as a workhouse and place of correction4 ,at a later date the name became associated with other houses used for a similar purpose4 ,hence it has arisen1 remarks ,chambers in his ,book of ,days1 that the pure and innocent ,bridget1 the first of ,irish nuns1 is now inextricably connected in our ordinary national parlance with a class of beings of the most opposite description4 ,there are fully a dozen wells in ,scotland bearing her name4 ,these are chiefly to be found in the counties of ,wigtown1 ,dumfries1 ,peebles1 ,lanark1 ,renfrew1 ,dumbarton1 ,perth1 ,fife1 and ,aberdeen4 ,a monastery was founded in ,bridget's honour at ,abernethy1 in ,perthshire1 probably in the eighth century1 and she had churches on the mainland and among the ,western ,islands4 ,a curious superstition connected with ,bridget has survived to the present time1 at least in one of these islands4 ,it has to do with a certain magical flower styled torranain1 that must be plucked during the influx of the tide1 and is of virtue to protect cows from the evil eye1 and to make them give a plentiful supply of milk4 ,the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,stewart1 in his ',twixt ,ben ,nevis and ,glencoe1 quotes the incantation associated with it forwarded to him by a correspondent in ,uist4 ,the following is one of the stanzas3-- ,let me pluck thee1 ,torranain6 ,with all thy blessedness and all thy virtue4 ,the nine blessings came with the nine parts4 ,by the virtue of the ,torranain4 ,the hand of ,st4 ,bride with me ,i am now to pluck thee4 ,a saint who could give efficacy to a spell was quite the sort of person to be entrusted with the custody of springs4 ,ninian1 popularly called ,ringan1 devoted his life mainly to missionary work among the ,picts of ,galloway1 although he extended his influence as far north as the ,tay4 ,he seems to have been honoured in ,aberdeenshire1 if we may judge by a fresco1 representing him1 discovered about thirty years ago in the pre-,reformation ,church of ,turriff1 and regard was had for him as far north as the ,shetland ,isles4 ,even the ,scot abroad did not forget him4 ,chalmers1 in his ,caledonia1 says that1 in the church of the ,carmelite ,friars of ,bruges in ,flanders1 the ,scottish nation founded an altar to ,st4 ,ninian1 and endowed a chaplain who officiated at it4 ,a cave by the sea in the parish of ,glasserton1 in ,wigtownshire1 was his favourite retreat4 ,this cave was explored about ten years ago1 and several stones1 marked with incised crosses1 were discovered4 ,ninian brought masons from ,france1 and at ,whithorn built ,candida ,casa--the first stone church in ,scotland4 ,it was in course of construction in the year #cig4 ,ninian then heard of the death of ,martin of ,tours1 and to the latter the new church was dedicated4 ,these two saints are found side by side in the matter of church dedications4 ,thus1 ,martin was patron of ,ulbster1 in ,caithness3 not far off was a church to ,ninian4 ,strathmartin1 in ,forfarshire1 was united in #agii to the parish of ,mains1 the latter claiming ,ninian as its tutelar saint4 ,sinavey ,spring1 in ,mains parish1 near the site of the ancient ,castle of ,fintry1 is believed to represent ,st4 ,ninian's name in a corrupted form4 ,his springs are numerous1 and have a wide range from the counties of ,wigtown and ,kirkcudbright to those of ,forfar and ,kincardine4 ,there is a well to him near ,dunnottar ,castle1 in the last-mentioned county4 ,in the island of ,sanda1 off the ,kintyre coast1 is a spring named after him4 ,it had a considerable local celebrity in former times4 ,st4 ,ninian's ,well in ,stirling is a familiar spot in the district4 ,there is a well sacred to ,martin in the ,aberdeenshire parish of ,cairnie4 ,martinmas 7,november #aath7 came long ago into our land as a church festival4 ,it still remains with us as a familiar term-day4 ,an incident in ,martin's biography has a bearing on our subject1 through the connection between the name of the festival commemorating it and certain of our place-names4 ,in ,scotland1 the fourth of ,july used to be known as ,martin of ,bullion's ,day1 in honour of the translation of the saint's body to a shrine in the cathedral of ,tours4 ,there is some uncertainty about the origin of the term ,bullion1 though1 according to the likeliest etymology1 it is derived from the ,french bouiller1 to boil1 in allusion to the heat of the weather at that time of the year4 ,there is an old proverb that if the deer rise up dry and lie down dry on ,martin of ,bullion's ,day1 there will be a good gose-harvest1 i4e41 an early and plentiful one4 ,an annual fair was appointed to be held at ,selkirk and in ,dyce parish1 ,aberdeenshire1 in connection with the festival4 ,there are traces of both ,martin and ,bullion in ,scottish topography4 ,in ,perthshire there is the parish of ,st4 ,martin's1 containing the estate of ,st4 ,martin's ,abbey4 ,some miles to the east is ,strathmartin in ,forfarshire1 already alluded to1 and not far from it in the same county we find ,bullionfield in the parish of ,liff and ,benvie4 ,it is probable that these names are in some way connected together4 ,in ,ecclesmachan parish in ,linlithgowshire1 there is1 as far as we know1 no trace of ,martin in any dedication of chapel or spring2 but ,bullion is represented4 ,there is a spring of this name issuing from the trap rocks of the ,tor ,hill4 ,it is a mineral well4 ,the water is slightly impregnated with sulphuretted hydrogen4 ,in former times it was much resorted to by health-seekers1 but it is now neglected4 ,ninian consecrated a graveyard beside the ,molendinar at ,cathures1 now ,glasgow4 ,about a hundred years later ,kentigern1 otherwise ,mungo1 bishop of the ,strathclyde kingdom1 brought to this cemetery from ,carnock the body of ,fergus1 an anchorite1 on a cart drawn by two wild bulls4 ,over the spot where ,fergus was buried was built1 at a later date1 the crypt of what was to have been the south transept of the cathedral1 had that portion of the structure ever been reared4 ,the crypt is now popularly called ,blackadder's ,aisle1 though1 as ,dr4 ,andrew ,mac,george points out in his ,old ,glasgow1 it ought to be called ,fergus' ,isle4 ,it was so named in a minute of the kirk-session in #afdh1 and an inscription in long ,gothic letters on a stone in the roof of the aisle tells the same tale4 ,kentigern took up his abode on the banks of the ,molendinar1 and gathered round him a company of monks1 each dwelling in a separate hut4 ,in the twelfth century the spot was surrounded by a dense forest1 and in #aejj the ,arbores sancti ,kentigerni were landmarks in the district4 ,kentigern's ,well1 now in the lower church of the cathedral1 must1 from the very fact of its inclusion within the building1 have been deemed sacred before the cathedral was reared4 ,other examples of wells within churches are on record1 though not in ,scotland4 ,there is a spring in ,st4 ,patrick's ,cathedral1 ,dublin4 ,the cathedrals of ,carlisle1 ,winchester1 and ,canterbury1 and the minsters of ,york and ,beverley1 as well as one of two ,english parish churches1 either now have or once had wells within their walls4 ,the ,rev4 ,t4 ,f4 ,thiselton ,dyer gives several examples in his ,church ,lore ,gleanings1 and remarks1 ,such wells may have been of special service in ,border churches1 which1 like the cathedral of ,carlisle1 served as places of refuge for the inhabitants in case of sudden alarm or foray4 ,besides his well in the cathedral1 ,kentigern had another dedicated to him at ,glasgow1 close to ,little ,st4 ,mungo's ,church1 in the immediate neighbourhood of the trees already mentioned4 ,there are fully a dozen wells sacred to him north of the ,tweed4 ,as might be expected1 these are almost all to be found in the counties south of the ,forth and ,clyde1 and particularly in those to the west of that district4 ,there is one in ,kincardineshire1 at ,kinneff1 locally known as ,kenty's ,well4 ,under the name of ,st4 ,mongah's ,well there is a spring dedicated to him in ,yorkshire at ,copgrove ,park four miles from ,boroughbridge4 ,a bath close by1 supplied with water from this spring1 was formerly much frequented by invalids of all ages1 who remained immersed for a longer or shorter time in its intensely cold water4 ,other wells to ,kentigern are to be met with in the north of ,england4 ,the parish of ,crossthwaite in ,cumberland has its church dedicated to him4 ,the spot was the thwaite or clearing in the wood where he set up his cross4 ,thanet ,well1 in ,greystoke parish in the same county1 is believed to have derived its name from ,tanew or ,thenew1 ,kentigern's mother1 familiar to the citizens of ,glasgow as ,st4 ,enoch4 ,st4 ,enoch's ,well1 close to ,st4 ,enoch's ,square in that burgh1 used to be a favourite resort of health-seekers4 ,it has now no existence4 ,cuthbert1 besides a well at ,st4 ,boswell's1 in ,roxburghshire1 had a bath in ,strath ,tay1 a rock-hewn hollow full of water where he periodically passed several hours in devotion4 ,this famous ,northumbrian missionary was born about #fce1 and spent his early boyhood as a shepherd on the southern slopes of the ,lammermoors4 ,he lived for thirteen years as a monk in the monastery of ,old ,melrose1 situated two miles east from the present ,melrose on a piece of land almost surrounded by the ,tweed4 ,on the death of ,boisil1 ,cuthbert was appointed prior4 ,he afterwards became bishop of ,lindisfarne4 ,during his stay at ,melrose he visited the land of the ,niduarian ,picts1 in other words the ,picts of ,galloway1 and left a record of his journey in the name of ,kirkcudbright1 i4e41 the ,church of ,cuthbert4 ,various other churches were dedicated to him in the south of ,scotland and in the north of ,england4 ,a well-known ,edinburgh parish bears his name4 ,he was honoured as far south as ,cornwall4 ,st4 ,cuby's ,well1 locally called ,st4 ,kilby's1 between ,duloe and ,sandplace in that county is believed to have been dedicated to him4 ,there is a good deal of uncertainty about the history of ,palladius4 ,he is believed to have been a missionary from ,rome to the ,irish in the fifth century1 and to have suffered martyrdom for the faith4 ,it is recorded of him that on one occasion1 by removing some turf in the name of the ,holy ,spirit1 he caused a spring to gush forth to supply water for baptism4 ,he is popularly associated with ,kincardineshire1 though there is reason to believe that he had no personal connection with the district4 ,a spring in ,fordoun parish is locally known as ,paldy's ,well1 and an annual market goes by the name of ,paldy's or ,paddy's ,fair4 ,a chapel was dedicated to him there1 and received his relics1 brought thither by his disciple ,terrananus1 whose name is still preserved in ,banchory-,ternan1 and who seems to have belonged to the district4 ,ternan has a well at ,banchory-,devenick1 and another at ,kirkton-of-,slains1 in ,buchan4 ,the old church of ,arbuthnot was dedicated to him4 ,it was for this church that the ,missal1 ,psalter1 and ,office of the ,virgin1 now in the possession of ,viscount ,arbuthnot1 were written and illuminated towards the end of the fifteenth century1 these being the only complete set of ,service-,books of a ,scottish ,church that have come down to us from pre-,reformation times4 ,brendan of ,clonfert in ,ireland1 visited several of the ,western ,isles during the first half of the sixth century1 and various churches were afterwards dedicated to him there4 ,he is connected also with ,bute4 ,the name ,brandanes1 applied to its inhabitants1 came from him1 and he bids fair to be remembered in the name of ,kilbrandon ,sound1 between ,arran and ,kintyre4 ,he was patron of a well in the island of ,barra and was tutelar saint of ,boyndie and ,cullen in ,banffshire2 but we are not aware that any well at either of these places was called after him4 ,a curious legend is related to account for the origin of the ,see of ,aberdeen4 ,according to it ,machar or ,macarius1 along with twelve companions1 received instructions from ,columba to wander over ,pictland1 and to build his cathedral-church where he found a river making a bend like a bishop's staff4 ,such a bend was found in the ,don at ,old ,aberdeen4 ,st4 ,machar's ,cathedral1 built beside it1 keeps alive the saint's memory4 ,in the neighbouring grounds of ,seton is ,st4 ,machar's ,well4 ,though now neglected1 it was honoured in former times1 and its water was used at baptisms in the cathedral4 ,under the name of ,mocumma or ,mochonna1 ,macarius appears as one of the followers of ,columba on his memorable voyage from ,ireland to ,iona4 ,he is said to have visited ,pope ,gregory the ,great at ,rome1 and to have been for a time bishop of ,tours4 ,in ,strathdon1 ,aberdeenshire1 is a well sacred to him called ,tobar-,mhachar1 pronounced in the district ,tobar-,vacher4 ,constantine1 known also by his other names of ,cowstan1 ,chouslan1 and ,cutchou1 was a prince of ,cornwall in the sixth century1 and was acquainted with ,columba and ,kentigern4 ,he relinquished his throne and crossed over to ,ireland1 where he turned monk4 ,at a later date he came to the west of ,scotland1 and founded a monastery at ,golvedir1 believed to be ,govan1 near ,glasgow1 and1 according to ,fordun1 became its abbot4 ,kilchouslan ,church1 on the north side of ,campbeltown ,bay1 ,kintyre1 was built in his honour4 ,in its graveyard there is1 or was till quite lately1 a round stone about the size of a grinding stone4 ,in the centre is a hole large enough to let the hand pass through4 ,there is a tradition that if a man and woman eloped1 and were able to join hands through this hole before being overtaken by their kinsfolk they were free from further pursuit4 ,in the spring of #ahib an interesting find of old coins was made in the same graveyard4 ,these consisted of groats and half-groats1 some of ,english and some of ,scottish coinage1 the earliest belonging to the reign of ,edward ,,ii4 of ,england4 ,according to ,martin1 the well of ,st4 ,cowstan at ,garrabost1 in ,lewis1 was believed never to boil any kind of meat1 though its water was kept over the fire for a whole day4 ,this well is on a steep slope at the shore4 ,not far off once stood ,st4 ,cowstan's ,chapel1 but its site is now under tillage4 ,serf or ,servanus1 who flourished during the latter half of the seventh century1 was connected with the district north of the ,firth of ,forth1 particularly with ,culross1 and the island named after him in ,loch ,leven1 where he founded a monastery4 ,at ,dysart1 ,serf had a cave1 and in it tradition says that he held a discussion with the devil4 ,the name of ,dysart indeed1 comes from this desertum or retreat4 ,serf had a cell at ,dunning1 in ,strathearn1 where he died in the odour of sanctity4 ,he had also some link with the parish of ,monzievaird1 where the church was dedicated to him1 and where a small loch still goes by the name of ,st4 ,serf's ,water4 ,there is a well sacred to him at ,alva4 ,st4 ,shear's ,well1 at ,dumbarton1 retains his name in an altered form4 ,early last century this spring was put to a practical purpose1 as arrangements were then made to lead its water across the ,leven by pipes to supply the burgh4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,more ,,saints ,,and ,,springs4 ,ronan--,dow ,well--,influence on ,topography--,ronan's ,springs--,pol ,ronan and ,feill ,ronan--,fergus--,his ,well in ,banffshire--,glamis--,his ,relics--,his ,wells at ,montrose and ,wick--,helen--,st4 ,helen's ,kirk--,her ,springs--,her connection with ,britain--,her ,wells and ,churches in ,england--,welsh ,traditions--,st4 ,abb's ,well--,ebba--,aidan--,his ,wells--,boisil--,his ,springs--,st4 ,boswell's ,fair--,bathan--,abbey ,st4 ,bathan's--,his ,well there--,boniface--,his ,well and ,fair at ,rosemarkie--,catherine of ,alexandria--,her ,legend--,her ,wells--,various other ,dedications--,lawrence--,his ,wells--,st4 ,lawrence's ,fair--,his ,church ,dedications--,laurencekirk--,margaret-- ,her connection with ,queensferry and ,forfar--,her ,wells at ,edinburgh--,her ,cave and ,spring at ,dunfermline--,wells dedicated to various ,characters in ,sacred ,story4 ,in any notice of early saints ,ronan must not be forgotten1 especially when we remember that perhaps no spring1 thanks to ,sir ,walter ,scott1 is so familiar to the general reader as ,st4 ,ronan's ,well4 ,it has been commonly identified with the mineral well at ,innerleithen1 in ,peeblesshire for long held in much favour in cases of eye and skin complaints1 and also for the cure of dyspepsia4 ,the spring is situated a short distance above the town on the skirt of ,lee ,pen4 ,the writer of the article on ,innerleithen parish in the ,new ,statistical ,account of ,scotland says that this spring was formerly called the ',dow-well' from the circumstance that1 long before the healing virtues of the water were discovered1 pigeons from the neighbouring country resorted to it4 ,the name1 however1 is more probably derived from the ,gaelic dhu or dubh1 signifying black4 ,this is all the more likely when we remember that the ground around was wet and miry before the spring was put into order1 and the present pump-room built1 in #ahbf4 ,we find marks of ,ronan in ,scottish topography4 ,in ,dumbartonshire is ,kilmaronock1 meaning1 literally1 the ,church of my little ,ronan2 ,kilmaronog near ,loch ,etive has the same signification4 ,dr4 ,skene refers to these two dedications1 and adds1 ,ronan appears to have carried his mission to the ,isles4 ,he has left his trace in ,iona1 where one of the harbours is ,port ,ronan4 ,the church1 afterwards the parish church1 was dedicated to him1 and is called ,teampull ,ronaig1 and its burying-ground1 ,cladh ,ronan4 ,then we find him at ,rona1 in the ,sound of ,skye1 and another ,rona1 off the coast of ,lewis2 and1 finally1 his death is recorded in #gcg as ,ronan1 abbot of ,cinngaradh or ,kingarth1 in ,bute4 ,ronan is patron of various springs4 ,there is one sacred to him near ,kilmaronock1 another in the ,aberdeenshire parish of ,strathdon1 and another1 already referred to1 beside ,teampull ,mr1 in the ,butt of ,lewis4 ,the parish of ,strowan1 now joined to that of ,monzievaird1 has a well to the saint4 ,this was to be expected1 since the name of the parish is merely an altered form of ,st4 ,rowan or ,ronan4 ,about a hundred yards above the bridge of ,strowan1 there is a deep pool in the river ,earn1 called ,pol-,ronan1 and a piece of ground hard by was formerly the site of the yearly gathering known as ,feill-,ronan or ,st4 ,ronan's ,fair4 ,the parish of ,st4 ,fergus1 in ,buchan1 known till the year #afaf as ,langley1 commemorates an ,irish missionary of the eighth century1 who led a roving life1 if we can believe the tradition1 that he evangelised ,caithness1 ,buchan1 ,strathearn1 and ,forfarshire1 as well as attended an ,ecclesiastical ,council at ,rome4 ,the legend that his well in ,kirkmichael parish1 ,banffshire1 was at one time in ,italy may be connected with his visit to ,rome4 ,concerning this spring1 the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,gregor gives the following particulars3--,fergan ,well is situated on the south-east side of ,knock-,fergan1 a hill of considerable height on the west side of the river ,avon1 opposite the manse of ,kirkmichael4 ,the first ,sunday of ,may and ,easter ,sunday were the principal ,sundays for visiting it1 and many from the surrounding parishes1 who were affected with skin diseases or running sores1 came to drink of its water1 and to wash in it4 ,the hour of arrival was twelve o'clock at night1 and the drinking of the water and the washing of the diseased part took place before or at sunrise4 ,a quantity of the water was carried home for future use4 ,pilgrimages were made up to the end of ,september1 by which time the healing virtues of the water had become less4 ,such after-visits seem to have begun in later times4 ,fergus died at ,glamis1 and his relics soon began to work cures4 ,his head was carried off to the monastery of ,scone1 and was so much esteemed in later times that1 by order of ,james ,,iv41 a silver case was made for it4 ,his cave and well are to be seen at ,glamis4 ,there is a spring dedicated to him near ,montrose1 and there is another at ,wick4 ,various other saintly personages have left traces of their names in holy wells4 ,chalmers1 in his ,caledonia1 mentions that the ancient church of ,aldcamus1 in ,cockburnspath parish1 ,berwickshire1 was dedicated to ,helen1 mother of ,constantine1 and that its ruins were known as ,st4 ,helen's ,kirk4 ,a portion of the building still stands4 ,to the north of it is a burying-ground2 but1 curiously enough1 as ,mr4 ,muir points out in his ,ancient ,churches of ,scotland1 the spot does not appear ever to have been used for purposes of sepulture4 ,we do not know surely of any spring to ,helen in the immediate neighbourhood1 but there is one at ,darnick1 near ,melrose4 ,another is in ,kirkpatrick-,fleming parish1 ,dumfriesshire4 ,perhaps the best known is ,st4 ,helen's ,well1 beside the highway from ,maybole to ,ayr1 about two-and-a-half miles from the former town4 ,it was much resorted to on ,may ,day for the cure of sickly children4 ,on ,timothy ,pont's map1 of date #afed1 there is a ,helen's ,loch marked a little to the south-west of ,camelon1 in ,stirlingshire4 ,some writers have attempted to claim ,helen as a native of ,britain1 and ,colchester and ,york have1 for different reasons1 been fixed on as her birth-place4 ,the circumstance that ,constantine was proclaimed ,emperor at the latter town1 on the death there of his father1 ,constantius ,chlorus1 probably gave rise to the tradition4 ,anyhow1 ,helen seems to have been held in high honour in ,england4 ,in an article in the ,archological ,journal for ,december1 #ahia1 ,mr4 ,edward ,peacock mentions that there are at least fifteen wells named after her south of the ,tweed4 ,he adds1 there are many churches dedicated to the honour of ,st4 ,helen in ,england1 but they are very irregularly distributed4 ,none seems to occur in ,cumberland1 ,westmoreland1 or ,essex4 ,the rest of the ,english shires1 for which we have authentic information1 give the following results3--,devonshire1 three2 ,durham1 two2 ,kent1 one2 ,lincolnshire1 twenty-eight2 ,northumberland1 three2 ,nottinghamshire1 fifteen2 ,yorkshire1 thirty-two4 ,helen's name occurs in ,welsh legends2 but1 as ,mr4 ,peacock observes1 early history is so much distorted in them1 that1 if we did not know of her from more authentic sources1 we might well believe ,helen to have been a mere creation of the fervid ,keltic imagination4 ,as far as is known there are neither wells nor church dedications to her in the ,principality4 ,at ,ayton1 in ,berwickshire1 we find ,st4 ,abb's ,well1 recalling ,abb or bba1 who1 in the seventh century1 presided over a monastery on the headland still bearing her name1 and in whose honour the priory at ,coldingham was founded by ,edgar1 son of ,malcolm ,canmore1 some four centuries and a half later4 ,her monastery on the headland was founded by ,aidan1 who was sent from ,iona to the ,north of ,england in response to a request from ,king ,oswald1 of ,bernicia1 for a missionary to preach ,christianity to his pagan subjects4 ,this was about the year #fce4 ,aidan made the island of ,lindisfarne1 off the coast of ,northumberland1 his head-quarters4 ,it is still known as ,holy ,island4 ,aidan has not been forgotten in the matter of wells4 ,there are four to him1 viz41 at ,menmuir and at ,fearn1 in ,forfarshire2 at ,balmerino1 in ,fife2 and at ,cambusnethan1 in ,lanarkshire4 ,this last1 called ,st4 ,iten's ,well1 was noted for the cure of asthma and skin-disease4 ,boisil1 abbot of the monastery of ,old ,melrose1 about the middle of the seventh century1 still lives in the name of the ,roxburghshire village and parish of ,st4 ,boswell's4 ,there is a spring in the parish bearing the name of ,the ,well-brae ,wall4 ,boswell's own spring is popularly styled the ,hare-well4 ,not far from both is ,st4 ,boswell's ,burn1 a tributary of the ,tweed4 ,the local fair held on ,july #ahth1 in honour of the saint1 used to be a notable one in the border counties1 and was frequented by large numbers of gipsies who set up booths for the sale of their wares4 ,bathan1 who flourished in the early seventh century1 had to do with ,shetland1 and with the region about the ,whittadder1 in ,berwickshire4 ,abbey ,st4 ,bathans1 in the latter county1 is named after him4 ,his well is on one of the haughs beside the river1 not far from the ruined nunnery4 ,its water is believed never to freeze4 ,boniface belonged to the same century4 ,he is said to have preached ,christianity at ,gowrie1 in ,pictavia1 and afterwards at ,rosemarkie1 in the ,black ,isle1 where he died at the age of eighty1 and was buried in the church of ,st4 ,peter4 ,a well and a fair at ,rosemarkie still keep alive his memory4 ,the fame of ,catherine of ,alexandria travelled to ,scotland at a comparatively early period4 ,this holy maiden was noted for her learning4 ,indeed she was so wise that ,maxentius the ,emperor called her a second ,plato4 ,the ,emperor's compliments1 however1 stopped there1 for he ordered her to be executed on account of her contempt for paganism4 ,the wheel1 her usual attribute in art1 was not the instrument of her martyrdom1 as it was miraculously destroyed4 ,she met her death by being beheaded1 and1 immediately thereafter1 her body was carried by angels to ,mount ,sinai4 ,these and other legendary incidents must have conduced to make the saint popular4 ,st4 ,catherine's ,balm-well1 at ,liberton1 ,mid-,lothian1 had a high reputation for curing skin-disease4 ,martin speaks of a well to ,st4 ,catherine on the south coast of ,eigg1 reckoned by the islanders a specific in all kinds of disease4 ,he gives the following account of its dedication by ,father ,hugh1 a priest1 and of the respect paid to the spring in consequence3--,he 7the priest7 obliged all the inhabitants to come to this well1 and then employed them to bring together a great heap of stones at the head of the spring by way of penance4 ,this being done1 he said ,mass at the well1 and then consecrated it2 he gave each of the inhabitants a piece of wax candle1 which they lighted1 and all of them made the ,dessil1--of going round the well sun-ways1 the priest leading them2 and from that time it was accounted unlawful to boil any meat with the water of this well4 ,in the south-west of ,scotland1 ,catherine has1 or had1 three wells1 viz41 at ,stoneykirk1 at ,low ,drumore1 and at ,old ,luce1 opposite the ,abbey4 ,in the north-east there are three1 viz41 at ,fyvie1 ,aberdeenshire2 and in ,alvah parish1 ,banffshire2 and at ,banff itself4 ,at ,shotts1 in ,lanarkshire1 the fountain by the roadside immediately below the parish church is1 or at least was1 locally known as ,cat's or ,kate's ,well--a contraction of the ,saint's name--reminding one of the ,kate ,kennedy celebration at ,st4 ,andrews ,university1 which originated in connection with the gift of a bell by ,bishop ,kennedy in honour of the saint4 ,the ruins of ,caibeal ,cairine1 i4e41 ,catherine's ,chapel1 are in ,southend parish1 ,kintyre1 and two farms called ,north and ,south ,carine are in the immediate neighbourhood4 ,captain ,white1 when exploring the district1 sought for ,st4 ,catherine's ,well in the adjoining glen1 but failed to find it4 ,a chapel to the saint once stood in the quondam town of ,kincardine in the ,mearns4 ,its graveyard alone remains4 ,st4 ,catherine's ,fair1 held at ,kincardine till the year #afab1 was then transferred to the neighbouring ,fettercairn4 ,there is perhaps no place-name more familiar to visitors to ,inveraray than ,st4 ,catherine's1 on the opposite shore of ,loch ,fyne4 ,it was in ,st4 ,catherine's ,aisle1 within the parish church of ,linlithgow1 that ,james ,,iv4 saw the mysterious apparition that warned him to beware of ,flodden4 ,at ,port-,erin1 in the ,isle of ,man1 is a spring close to the beach1 and on a stone beside it in old lettering1 can be read the piece of advice3-- ,st4 ,catherine's ,well1 ,keep me clean4 ,lawrence is represented by various springs1 viz41 by one in ,kirkcudbrightshire1 at ,fairgirth2 by one in ,elginshire1 at ,new ,duffus2 and by two in ,aberdeenshire1 at ,kinnord2 and at ,rayne1 where a horse market1 called ,lawrence ,fair1 is still held annually in ,august4 ,near the ,fairgirth spring stand the ivy-clad ruins of ,st4 ,lawrence's ,chapel1 at one time surrounded by a graveyard4 ,the parish of ,slamannan1 in ,stirlingshire1 was anciently called ,st4 ,lawrence1 its pre-,reformation church having been dedicated to him4 ,an excellent spring1 not far from the parish church1 is known as ,st4 ,lawrence's ,well4 ,there is reason to believe that all these dedications relate to ,lawrence1 who1 about the middle of the third century1 suffered at ,rome1 by being broiled over a slow fire1 and in whose honour the ,escurial in ,spain was built in the form of a gridiron--the supposed instrument of his martyrdom4 ,laurencekirk1 in ,kincardineshire1 anciently called ,conveth1 received its name1 not from the martyr1 but from ,lawrence1 archbishop of ,canterbury1 successor of ,augustine1 early in the seventh century4 ,he is said to have visited the ,mearns4 ,the church of ,conveth was named in his honour ,laurencekirk4 ,as far as we know1 however1 there is no spring to him in the district4 ,margaret1 queen and saint1 wife of ,malcolm ,canmore1 was a light amid the darkness of the eleventh century4 ,indeed she was a light to many later centuries4 ,the secret of her beneficial influence lay in her personal character1 and she undoubtedly did much to recommend civilisation to a barbarous age4 ,at the same time it must not be forgotten that through her ,english training she was unable to appreciate either the speech or the special religious institutions of her ,scottish subjects1 and that1 accordingly1 the changes introduced by her were not all reforms4 ,when sketching her influence on the history of her time1 the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,m',lauchlan1 in his ,early ,scottish ,church1 observes1 ,she was somewhat unwillingly hindered from entering a monastery by her marriage with ,malcolm1 and the latter repaid the obligation by unbounded devotion to her and readiness to fall in with all her schemes4 ,she was brought up in the ,anglo-,saxon ,church1 as that ,church was moulded by ,augustine and other emissaries of ,rome1 and was in consequence naturally opposed to many of the peculiarities of the ,scottish ,church1 which was still without diocesan bishops1 and had many things in its forms of worship peculiar to itself4 ,dunfermline was ,malcolm's favourite place of residence1 and many were the journeys made by his wife between it and ,edinburgh4 ,the names of ,north and ,south ,queensferry1 where she crossed the ,forth1 tell of these royal expeditions4 ,malcolm and ,margaret were associated with the town of ,forfar4 ,local topography has still its ,king's ,muir1 and its ,queen's ,well to testify to the fact2 and on the ,inch of ,forfar ,loch1 where ,margaret had a residence1 an annual celebration was long held in her honour4 ,she had a spring at ,edinburgh ,castle1 described as the fountain which rises near the corner of the ,king's ,garden1 on the road leading to ,st4 ,cuthbert's ,church4 ,st4 ,margaret's ,well--once at ,restalrig1 now in the ,queen's ,park--has already been referred to4 ,at ,dunfermline there is a spring in a cave where1 according to tradition1 she spent many an hour in pious meditation4 ,the cave is about seven feet in height1 fully eight in breadth1 and varies in depth from eight to eleven4 ,this cave1 remarks the ,rev4 ,peter ,chalmers in his ,history of ,dunfermline1 is situated at a short distance north from the ,tower ,hill1 and from the mound crossing the ravine on which part of the town stands4 ,there is at present a small spring well at the bottom1 the water of which rises at times and covers the whole lower space2 but anciently1 it is to be presumed1 there was none1 or at least it must have been covered1 and prevented from overflowing the floor1 which would either have been formed of the rock or have been paved4 ,a considerable amount of rubbish accumulated in the cave1 but this was removed in #ahgg4 ,during the process of clearing out the cave1 remarks ,dr4 ,henderson in his ,annals of ,dunfermline1 two stone seats or benches were discovered along the base of the north and south sides1 but there were no carvings or devices seen on them4 ,near the back of the cave a small sunk well was found1 but it is now covered over with a stone flag4 ,several ,scripture characters have wells named after them4 ,st4 ,matthew has springs at ,kirkton1 ,dumfriesshire1 and at ,roslin1 ,midlothian4 ,st4 ,andrew's name is attached to wells at ,sandal1 in ,kintyre2 at ,north ,berwick1 in ,east ,lothian2 at ,shadar1 in ,lewis2 and at ,selkirk--this last having been uncovered in #ahib1 after remaining closed1 it is believed1 for fully three hundred years4 ,a spring at ,st4 ,andrews1 called ,holy ,well1 is understood to have been dedicated either to ,andrew or to ,regulus4 ,st4 ,paul has springs at ,fyvie and at ,linlithgow2 ,st4 ,philip is patron of one in ,yarrow parish1 ,selkirkshire2 ,st4 ,james has one at ,garvock1 in ,aberdeenshire2 ,st4 ,thomas has three--at ,lochmaben1 ,dumfriesshire2 at ,crieff1 in ,perthshire2 and near ,stirling2 and ,st4 ,john has a considerable number of springs4 ,some of these are to the ,evangelist1 and some to the ,baptist4 ,it is often difficult to know to which of the two the patronage of a given well should be ascribed4 ,of the four chapels along the east wall of the lower church of ,glasgow ,cathedral1 the one next to ,st4 ,mungo's ,well was dedicated in pre-,reformation times to ,st4 ,john the ,evangelist4 ,it would have been more appropriately dedicated to the ,baptist4 ,st4 ,john's ,wells are to be found at ,moffat1 in ,dumfriesshire2 at ,logie ,coldstone1 in ,aberdeenshire2 near ,fochabers1 in ,elginshire2 at ,inverkeithing1 ,balmerino2 and ,falkland1 in ,fife2 at ,kinnethmont1 and in ,new ,aberdour1 in ,aberdeenshire2 at ,marykirk1 in ,kincardineshire2 at ,kirkton of ,deskford1 at ,ordiquhill1 and also near the old church of ,gamrie1 in ,banffshire2 at ,stranraer1 in ,wigtownshire2 at ,dunrobin1 in ,sutherland2 and elsewhere4 ,there are more than a dozen wells to ,st4 ,peter4 ,these are to be found mainly in counties in the south-west1 and in the north-east4 ,in the latter district there is a well at ,marnoch1 in ,banffshire1 called ,petrie's ,well4 ,st4 ,anne1 the reputed mother of the ,virgin1 presided over wells at ,ladykirk1 in ,berwickshire2 near the old church of ,st4 ,anne1 in ,dowally parish1 ,perthshire2 and at ,glass1 on the ,deveron4 ,the ,virgin herself was specially popular as the patroness of fountains4 ,there are over seventy dedicated to her under a variety of names1 such as1 ,st4 ,mary's ,well1 ,maria ,well1 c4 ,the town of ,motherwell1 in ,lanarkshire1 was so called after a famous well to the ,virgin4 ,tobermory1 in ,mull--literally1 ,well of ,mary--was originally a fountain4 ,a village was built beside it1 in #aghh1 as a fishing centre for the ,british ,fisheries' ,company4 ,a curious legend about the now ivy-clad ruins of the church of ,st4 ,mary in ,auchindoir parish1 ,aberdeenshire1 is thus referred to by ,mr4 ,a4 ,jervise in the ,proceedings of the ,society of ,antiquaries of ,scotland1 vol4 viii4 7old series73--,according to tradition1 it was originally proposed to rebuild the church at a place called ,kirkcairns 7now ,glencairns7 to the south of ,lumsden village1 and but for the warning voice of the ,virgin1 who appears to have been a good judge both of locality and soil1 the kirk would have been placed in an obscure sterile district4 ,besides being in the neighbourhood of good land1 fine views of the upper part of ,strathbogie and of the surrounding hills are obtained from the present site4444 ,st4 ,mary's ,well is about a hundred yards to the west4 ,if ,michael the ,archangel did not fold his wings over any ,scottish wells1 he at least gave name to several4 ,there is a ,st4 ,michael's ,spring in ,kirkmichael parish1 ,banffshire1 and another at ,dallas in ,elginshire4 ,in both cases1 the ancient church was dedicated to him4 ,culsalmond1 in ,aberdeenshire1 and ,applegarth1 in ,dumfriesshire1 have1 and ,edinburgh once had1 a ,st4 ,michael's ,well4 ,the best known is probably the one at ,linlithgow1 with its quaint inscription--,saint ,michael is kinde to straingers4 ,mr4 ,j4 ,r4 ,walker--to whose list of ,holy ,wells in the ,proceedings of the ,society of ,antiquaries of ,scotland1 vol4 v4 7new series71 we have been indebted for various useful hints--remarks1 ,the building covering this well dates only from #agbj4444 ,it is conjectured that the statue was taken from the ,cross-well when restored about that date and placed here to represent ,st4 ,michael1 who is the patron saint of ,linlithgow ,church4444 ,with the exception of the statue1 which is undoubtedly of much earlier date than #agbj1 the structure shows the utter absence of architectural knowledge--especially ,gothic--characteristic of the last century in ,scotland4 ,michael was tutelar saint1 not only of the church1 but also of the burgh of ,linlithgow4 ,in the town ,arms he is represented with outspread wings1 standing on a serpent whose head he is piercing with a spear4 ,he was also the guardian of the burgh of ,dumfries4 ,at ,inverlussa1 in ,north ,knapdale parish1 ,argyllshire1 may be seen the ancient chapel and burying-ground of ,kilmichael4 ,a well in the immediate neighbourhood is dedicated1 not to the archangel1 but to some local ecclesiastic1 whose name is now forgotten4 ,in reference to this spring1 ,captain ,white says1 ,trickling out from under a rock1 is the ,priest's ,well 7,tobar-ant-,sagairt71 famous1 like many another spring of so-called holy water1 for its miraculous healing virtues4 ,i believe the country people have by no means lost their faith in its powers4 ,the extent of the archangel's popularity in ,scotland is shown by his impress on topography4 ,among place-names we find at least three ,kilmichaels1 and there are five parishes called ,kirkmichael1 respectively in the counties of ,dumfries1 ,ayr1 ,perth1 ,ross and ,cromarty1 and ,banff4 ,a chapel is said to have been dedicated to him at a very early date on the top of the ,castle ,rock at ,edinburgh4 ,another once stood in the demesne of ,lovat1 where was founded1 about #abcb1 a ,priory for ,french monks1 who were so struck with the beauty of the spot that they called it ,beau-lieu1 now ,beauly4 ,far west1 in the outer ,hebrides1 he had faithful votaries4 ,on the island of ,grimisay1 close to ,north ,uist1 a chapel styled ,teampull ,mhicheil was built in his honour towards the close of the fourteenth century4 ,it was the work of ,amie1 otherwise ,annie1 wife of ,john of ,isla1 first ,lord of the ,isles1 and was used by her as an oratory when prevented by rough weather from crossing the ,minch to visit her friends in ,lorne4 ,that the archangel should have had wells named after him is therefore not surprising4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,stone ,,blocks ,,and ,,saints' ,,springs4 ,stone ,beds and ,chairs--,cave ,life--,dwarfie ,stone--,stone ,boats--,balthere--,his ,corpse--,his ,well and ,cradle--,marnan--,his ,influence on ,topography--,his ,head--,st4 ,marnan's ,chair and ,well--,muchricha--,cathair ,donan--,st4 ,donan's ,well--,patrick--,his ,wells--,st4 ,patrick's ,vat--,quarry at ,portpatrick--,columbanus--,mark of his ,hand--,kentigern's ,chair and ,bed--,his connection with ,aberdeenshire--,the ,lady's ,bed--,thenew--,columba's ,bed and ,pillow--,holy ,island--,traces of ,molio--,st4 ,blane's ,chapel--,kilmun--,inan--,st4 ,innian's ,well--,tenant's ,day--,st4 ,inan's ,chair and ,springs--,kevin--,print of ,virgin's ,knee--,traces of ,columba at ,keil--,st4 ,cuthbert's ,stane--,st4 ,madron's ,bed--,mean-an-,tol--,morwenna--,st4 ,fillan's ,chair--,st4 ,fillan's ,spring--,water for ,sore ,eyes--,the ,two ,fillans--,their ,dedications--,queen ,margaret's ,seat--,st4 ,bonnet's ,spring--,the ,fairies' ,cradle--,the ,pot o' ,pittenyoul--,church of ,invergowrie--,greystane--,cadger's ,bridge--,wallace's ,seat and ,well4 ,beds and ,chairs of stone are connected with various early saints1 and as such relics are often associated with holy wells1 some notice of these may not be without interest4 ,we have already seen that cave life was rather popular among these early missionaries4 ,anything of a rocky nature was therefore quite in line with their ascetic ways4 ,hoy1 one of the ,orkney ,islands1 famous for its wild scenery1 and specially for the pillar of rock popularly styled ,the ,old ,man1 contains a curious monument of antiquity in the shape of a large block of sandstone called ,the ,dwarfie ,stone1 hollowed out long ago by some unknown hand4 ,the chamber1 thus excavated1 contains two beds hewn out of the stone1 one of them having a pillow of the same hard material4 ,on the floor of the chamber is a hearth where a fire had evidently burned1 and in the roof is a hole for the escape of the smoke4 ,legend reports that a giant and his wife abode within2 but the hollow space was more probably the retreat of some hermit--perhaps1 of more than one1 seeing there are two couches2 though1 possibly1 one of the supposed couches may have been a table and the other a bed4 ,perhaps the anchorite had his spring whither he wandered daily to slake his thirst2 but1 as far as we know1 there is no tradition regarding any holy well in the neighbourhood4 ,martin1 in connection with his visit to ,orkney1 refers to a stone in the chapel of ,ladykirk1 in ,south ,ronaldshay1 called ,st4 ,magnus's ,boat4 ,the stone was four feet in length1 and tapered away at both ends2 but its special feature was the print of two human feet on the upper surface4 ,a local tradition affirmed that when ,st4 ,magnus wanted on one occasion to cross the ,pentland ,firth to ,caithness he used this stone as his boat1 and that he afterwards carried it to ,ladykirk4 ,according to another tradition1 the stone served in pre-,reformation times for the punishment of delinquents1 who were obliged to stand barefooted upon it by way of penance4 ,there is a ,st4 ,magnus's ,well1 not in ,south ,ronaldshay1 however1 but at ,birsay1 in the mainland of ,orkney4 ,when ,conval crossed from ,ireland to ,scotland1 in the seventh century1 he1 too1 made a block of stone do duty as a boat4 ,it found a resting-place beside the river ,cart1 near ,renfrew1 and was known as ,currus ,sancti ,convalli4 ,by its means miraculous cures were wrought on man and beast4 ,a rock at the mouth of ,aldham ,bay1 in ,haddingtonshire1 is known as ,st4 ,baudron's ,boat1 and tradition says that he crossed on it from the ,bass1 where he had a cell4 ,this saint--called also ,balthere and ,baldred--founded the monastery of ,tyningham1 and died early in the seventh century4 ,he must have been popular in the district1 for1 if we can believe an old legend1 the parishioners of the churches of ,aldham1 ,tyningham1 and ,prestonkirk tried to get possession of his relics4 ,to satisfy their demands his body was miraculously multiplied by three1 and each church was thus provided with one4 ,near ,tantallon ,castle is ,st4 ,baldred's ,well1 and a fissure in the cliff at ,whitberry1 not far from the mouth of the ,tyne1 is known as ,st4 ,baldred's ,bed or ,cradle4 ,marnan or ,marnoch1 besides giving name to the town of ,kilmarnock1 in ,ayrshire1 and to the ,island of ,inchmarnoch1 off ,bute1 is remembered in the name of the ,banffshire parish of ,marnoch1 where he laboured as a missionary in the seventh century4 ,his head was kept as a revered relic in the church of ,aberchirder1 and solemn oaths were sworn by it4 ,use was also made of it for therapeutic purposes4 ,it was periodically washed1 and the water was given to the sick for the restoration of their health4 ,this was not an isolated case4 ,bede tells us1 that after ,cuthbert's death1 some of the water in which his body was washed1 was given to an epileptic boy along with some consecrated earth1 and brought about a cure4 ,a stone1 called ,st4 ,marnan's ,chair1 is1 or was till lately1 to be seen at ,aberchirder2 and a spring1 near the parish manse1 bears the saint's name4 ,about a mile and a half from the church of ,aboyne1 in ,aberdeenshire1 is ,st4 ,muchricha's ,well1 and beside it is a stone marked with a cross4 ,at one time1 this stone was removed4 ,according to a local tradition1 it was brought back by ,muchricha1 the guardian of the well1 who seemed unwilling to lose sight of the lost property4 ,in the parish of ,kildonan1 ,sutherland1 two or three blocks of stone1 placed in the form of a seat1 went by the name of ,cathair ,donan1 i4e41 ,donan's ,chair4 ,in his cille or church1 ,donan taught the truths of ,christianity2 and1 seated in his cathair1 he administered justice to the people of the district4 ,there is a ,st4 ,donan's ,well in ,eigg1 the island where the saint and his companion clerics were murdered by the natives early in the seventh century4 ,patrick1 the well-known missionary of ,ireland1 was reverenced also in ,scotland4 ,there is a well dedicated to him in the parish of ,muthill1 ,perthshire1 and close to it once stood a chapel1 believed to have borne his name4 ,from the article on ,muthill parish1 in the ,new ,statistical ,account of ,scotland1 we learn that in former times the inhabitants of the district held the saint's memory in such veneration that1 on his day1 neither the clap of the mill was heard nor the plough seen to move in the furrow4 ,there is a well dedicated to him in ,dalziel parish1 ,lanarkshire4 ,about sixty yards from ,st4 ,patrick's temple1 in the island of ,tyree1 is a rock1 with a hollow on the top1 two feet across and four feet deep1 known to the islanders as ,st4 ,patrick's ,vat4 ,at any rate it was so named at the end of last century4 ,in a quarry at ,portpatrick1 ,wigtownshire1 used in connection with the harbour works1 once flowed a spring dedicated to the saint4 ,on the rock below were formerly to be seen certain marks1 said1 by tradition1 to be the impression made by his knees and left hand4 ,columban or ,columbanus1 belonged1 like ,columba1 to the sixth century4 ,ireland was also his native land4 ,when he left it he travelled1 not north like ,columba1 but south1 and sought the sunny lands of ,france and ,italy4 ,in the latter country he founded the monastery of ,bobbio among the ,apennines4 ,a writer in the ,antiquary for #ahia remarks1 in connection with a recent visit to this monastery1 ,i was taken to see a rock on the summit of a mountain called ,la ,spanna1 near the cave to which the saint is said to have retired for prayer and meditation4 ,the impression of the saint's left hand is still shown upon the face of this rock4 ,the healing power of the patron's hand is believed by the peasantry of the surrounding country to linger still in the hollow marking1 and many sufferers1 climbing to this spot1 have found relief from laying their hand within its palm4 ,in addition to his well beside the ,molendinar1 at ,glasgow1 ,kentigern had a chair and bed1 both of stone4 ,concerning the latter1 ,bishop ,forbes1 in his ,kalendars of ,scottish ,saints1 says1 ,kentigern's couch was rather a sepulchre than a bed1 and was of rock1 with a stone for a pillow1 like ,jacob4 ,he rose in the night and sang psalms and hymns till the second cock-crowing4 ,then he rushed into the cold stream1 and with eyes fixed on heaven he recited the whole psalter4 ,then1 coming out of the water he dried his limbs on a stone on the mountain called ,galath1 and went forth for his day's work4 ,kentigern's work took him beyond the limits of ,strathclyde4 ,he seems to have visited the uplands of ,aberdeenshire4 ,the church of ,glengairn1 a parish now incorporated with ,tullich and ,glenmuick1 was probably founded by him4 ,at any rate1 it was dedicated to him4 ,a tradition of his untiring zeal survived in ,aberdeenshire down to the beginning of last century4 ,according to a proverb then current1 systematic beneficence was said to be like ,st4 ,mungo's work1 which was never done4 ,the ,isle of ,may1 in the ,firth of ,forth1 has1 on one of its rocky sides1 a small cave called ,the ,lady's ,bed1 containing a pool in its floor4 ,as ,mr4 ,muir points out in his ,ecclesiological ,notes1 it is traditionally associated with ,thenew1 ,kentigern's mother1 who1 according to the legend1 after being cast into the sea at ,aberlady1 was miraculously floated to the ,may1 and thence1 in the same manner1 to ,culross1 where she was stranded and gave birth to the saint4 ,columba1 when in ,iona1 had a stone slab as a bed1 and a block of stone as a pillow4 ,adamnan mentions that1 after the saint's death1 this pillow stone was placed as a monument over his grave4 ,guarding ,lamlash ,bay1 where ,haco gathered his shattered fleet after the battle of ,largs1 in #abfc1 is ,holy ,island1 known to the ,norsemen as ,melansay4 ,in this island is a cave1 at one time inhabited by the hermit ,molio1 and below it1 near the beach1 is his ,holy ,well1 for centuries reckoned efficacious in the cure of disease4 ,a large block of sandstone1 flat on the top1 with a series of recesses like seats cut round its margin1 constitutes the saint's chair and table combined4 ,molio was educated in ,bute by his uncle ,blane1 to whom the now ruined ,st4 ,blane's ,chapel was dedicated4 ,he afterwards went to ,ireland1 and was placed under ,munna1 who is still remembered in the name of ,kilmun1 on ,holy ,loch1 in the ,firth of ,clyde4 ,inan1 probably the same as ,finan1 gave name to ,inchinnan1 in ,renfrewshire1 though the ancient church of the parish was dedicated1 not to him1 but to ,conval4 ,the church at ,lamington1 in ,lanarkshire1 was dedicated to ,inan4 ,st4 ,innian's ,well is in the parish4 ,he is the patron saint of ,beith1 in ,ayrshire4 ,the annual fair held there in ,august is popularly called ,tenant's ,day--,tenant being a corruption of ,st4 ,inan4 ,st4 ,inan's ,well and ,st4 ,inan's ,chair keep his memory fresh in the district4 ,some particulars about them are given by ,mr4 ,robert ,love in the ,proceedings of the ,society of ,antiquaries of ,scotland1 vol4 xi43--,this chair is in the rocky hill-face at the west end of the ,cuff hills1 and from its elevated position a wide tract of country from south to north is overlooked4 ,at the base of the hill1 and distant from the chair some hundred yards1 is a well called ,st4 ,inan's ,well1 a double spring1 which issues from the rock at two points close by each other1 and which is almost unapproachable in respect of its abundance and purity4 ,this chair is formed in part1 possibly by nature1 out of the rock of the hill4 ,its back and two sides are closed in1 while1 in front1 to the west1 it is open4 ,the seat proper is above the ground in front about two feet two inches1 is two feet four inches in breadth1 and one foot four inches in depth backwards4 ,visitors to the seven churches at ,glendalough1 in county ,wicklow1 ,ireland1 are usually shown ,st4 ,kevin's ,seat on a block of rock4 ,as a proof of its genuineness the mark made by the saint's leg and the impression of his fingers are duly pointed out by the local guide4 ,in ,kirkmaiden parish1 ,wigtownshire1 the print of the ,virgin's knee was at one time shown on a stone where she knelt in prayer4 ,there was a chapel dedicated to her in the neighbourhood4 ,in ,southend parish1 ,kintyre1 are the remains of ,st4 ,columba's ,chapel1 standing in the ancient burying-ground of ,keil4 ,in his ,ecclesiological ,notes ,mr4 ,muir observes1 ,under an overhanging rock1 close by on the roadside1 is ,st4 ,columba's ,well1 and on the top of a hillock1 overlooking the west end of the burial ground there is a flat rock bearing on its top the impress of two feet1 made1 it seems1 by those of the saint whilst he stood marking out and hallowing the spot on which his chapel should rest4 ,in ,bromfield parish1 ,cumberland1 is a piece of granite rock called ,st4 ,cuthbert's ,stane1 and near it is a copious spring of remarkably pure water4 ,brand1 in his ,popular ,antiquities1 says that this spring1 probably from its having been anciently dedicated to the same ,st4 ,cuthbert1 is called ,helly ,well1 i4e41 ,haly or ,holy ,well4 ,mr4 ,r4 ,c4 ,hope1 in his ,holy ,wells1 refers to a block of stone near ,st4 ,madron's ,spring1 in ,cornwall1 locally known as ,st4 ,madron's ,bed4 ,we are told that on it impotent folk reclined when they came to try the cold water cure4 ,in the same parish is a pre-historic relic in the form of a granite block with a hole in the centre of it4 ,it is known in ,cornish as ,mean-an-,tol1 i4e41 the ,stone of the ,hole4 ,its name in ,english is ,the ,creeping ,stone4 ,sickly children were at one time passed through the hole a certain number of times1 in the belief that a cure would follow4 ,this superstitious custom recalls what was at one time done beside ,st4 ,paul's ,well1 in the parish of ,fyvie1 ,aberdeenshire4 ,close to the well were the ruins of an old church4 ,one of its stones was supported on other two with a space below4 ,it went by the name of ,the ,shargar ,stone--shargar signifying a weakly child4 ,the stone1 in this instance1 got its name from the custom in the district of mothers passing their ailing children through the space below the stone1 in the belief that whatever hindered their growth would thereby be removed4 ,mr4 ,hope recounts a tradition concerning ,morwenstowe1 in ,devon1 and its patron saint1 ,morwenna1 to the effect that when the parishioners wished to build a church1 ,morwenna brought a large stone from the foot of the cliff to form the font4 ,feeling fatigued by the climb she laid down the stone to rest herself1 and from the spot a spring gushed forth4 ,on the top of green ,dunfillan1 in the parish of ,comrie1 is a rocky seat known in the district as ,fillan's ,chair4 ,here1 according to tradition1 the saint sat and gave his blessing to the country around4 ,towards the end of last century1 and doubtless even later1 this chair was associated with a superstitious remedy for rheumatism in the back4 ,the person to be cured sat in the chair1 and then1 lying on his back1 was dragged down the hill by the legs4 ,the influence of the saint lingering about the spot was believed to insure recovery4 ,st4 ,fillan's ,spring1 at the hill-foot1 has already been referred to1 in connection with its mysterious change of site4 ,it was much frequented at one time by old and young1 especially on #ast ,may and #ast ,august4 ,the health seekers walked or were carried thrice round the spring from east to west1 following the course of the sun4 ,the next part of the ritual consisted in the use of the water for drinking and washing1 in throwing a white stone on the saint's cairn1 near the spring1 and in leaving a rag as an offering before departing4 ,in #agia not fewer than seventy persons visited the spot at the dates mentioned4 ,the writer of the article on ,comrie in the ,old ,statistical ,account of ,scotland supplies these particulars1 and adds1 ,at the foot of the hill there is a basin made by the saint on the top of a large stone1 which seldom wants water1 even in the greatest drought1 and all who are distressed with sore eyes must wash them three times with this water4 ,fillan1 to whom ,comrie parish is thus so much indebted1 flourished about the sixth century1 and must not be confounded with the other missionary of the same name1 who dwelt more than a century later1 in the straths of the ,fillan and the ,dochart1 between ,tyndrum and ,killin4 ,concerning the former1 ,dr4 ,skene writes in his ,celtic ,scotland3 ,fillan1 called ,anlobar or 'the leper1' whose day is #bjth ,june1 is said in the ,irish calendar to have been of ,rath ,erenn in ,alban1 or the fort of the ,earn in ,scotland1 and ,st4 ,fillans1 at the east end of ,loch ,earn1 takes its name from him2 while the church of ,aberdour1 on the northern shore of the ,firth of ,forth1 is also dedicated to him4 ,the other ,fillan had his ,chapel and ,holy ,pool halfway between ,tyndrum and ,crianlarich4 ,he is also connected with ,fife4 ,at ,pittenweem1 in that county1 his cave is to be seen1 and in it is his holy well1 supplied with water from crevices in the rock4 ,at the mill of ,killin1 in ,perthshire1 once stood a block of stone1 known as ,st4 ,fillan's ,chair4 ,close to the spot flows the ,dochart1 and some person or persons1 whose muscles were stronger than their antiquarian instincts1 sought not unsuccessfully to throw the relic into the river4 ,the ,renfrewshire parish of ,killallan1 united in #agfj to that of ,houston1 got its name from ,fillan4 ,its ancient church1 now ruined1 was dedicated to him4 ,near the ruins1 are a stone with a hollow in it and a spring1 called respectively ,st4 ,fillan's ,seat and ,st4 ,fillan's ,well4 ,about two miles and a half to the south-east of ,dunfermline1 is a block of stone1 believed to be the last remnant of a group of pre-historic ,standing ,stones4 ,according to tradition1 it was used by ,queen ,margaret1 as a seat where she rested1 when on her way to and from the ferry over the ,forth4 ,a farm in the immediate neighbourhood is called ,st4 ,margaret's ,stone ,farm1 after the block in question4 ,in his ,annals of ,dunfermline ,dr4 ,henderson says1 ,in #ahef this stone was removed to an adjacent site1 by order of the road surveyor1 in order to widen the road which required no widening1 as no additional traffic was likely to ensue1 but the reverse2 it is therefore much to be regretted that the old landmark was removed4 ,it is in contemplation to have the old stone replaced on its old site 7as nearly as possible7 and made to rest1 with secure fixings1 on a massive base or plinth stone4 ,not far from the town of ,cromarty is ,st4 ,bennet's ,spring1 beside the ruins of ,st4 ,bennet's ,chapel4 ,close to the spot once stood a stone trough1 termed ,the ,fairies' ,cradle4 ,hugh ,miller1 in his ,scenes and ,legends of the ,north of ,scotland1 says that this trough was famous for virtues derived from the saint1 like those of the well4 ,for1 if a child was carried away by the fairies and some mischievous imp left in its place1 the parents had only to lay the changeling in this trough1 and1 by some invisible process1 their child would be immediately restored to them4 ,the ,fairies' ,cradle came to a sudden end about the year #agde4 ,it was then broken to pieces by the parish minister1 with the assistance of two of his elders1 that it might no longer serve the purposes of superstition4 ,the following1 from the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,gregor's ,folklore of the ,north-,east of ,scotland1 has certainly nothing to do with a saint1 but in other respects1 has a bearing on the subject in hand3--,the ,pot o' ,pittenyoul is a small but romantic rock-pool in a little stream called the ',burn o' the ,riggins1' which flows past the village of ,newmills of ,keith4 ,on the edge of the pool are some hollows worn away by the water and the small stones and sand carried down by the stream4 ,these hollows to a lively imagination have the shape of a seat1 and the story is1 that the devil1 at some far-back time1 sat down on the edge of the pool and left his mark4 ,probably at an equally distant date1 the devil made his presence felt1 further south1 though in a different way4 ,he had great objections to a church built at ,invergowrie1 in ,perthshire1 and1 in order to knock it down1 hurled a huge boulder across the ,tay from the opposite coast of ,fife4 ,we are not aware that the stone struck the church4 ,at any rate it can be seen in the grounds of ,greystane1 a property to which1 according to local tradition1 it gave name4 ,sir ,william ,wallace1 though never canonized1 had certainly more of the saint about him than the last-mentioned personage4 ,we find various traditions concerning him in the ,upper ,ward of ,lanarkshire4 ,his connection with ,lanark is well known4 ,at ,biggar1 he is said1 by ,blind ,harry1 to have defeated the ,english1 who greatly outnumbered his forces4 ,this battle took place on ,biggar ,moss4 ,a few days before the fight1 he entered the enemy's camp1 disguised as a cadger or pedlar1 to discover the strength of the ,english army4 ,being pursued1 he turned on his assailants while crossing a bridge over ,biggar ,water1 a little to the west of the town4 ,a foot-bridge there still goes by the name of ,the ,cadger's ,bridge4 ,a rock with a hollow in it1 lying to the north of ,vizzyberry1 is locally styled ,wallace's ,seat1 and a spring near the spot is still known as ,wallace's ,well4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,healing ,,and ,,holy ,,wells4 ,healing and ,holy--,modern ,health-resorts--,king's ,ease--,poorhouse of ,ayr--,muswell--,st4 ,martin's ,chapel--,alum ,wells--,petrifying ,springs--,peterhead--,moss of ,melshach--,well of ,spa--,chapel ,wells at ,kirkmaiden--,medan--,st4 ,catherine's ,balm ,well--,the ,sciennes--,st4 ,bernard's ,well--,non-mineral ,wells--,early ,saints--,water for ,discipline--,for ,baptism--,burghead--,lough ,shanan--,tobar-an-easbuig--,poetry and ,superstition--,heljabrn--,trinity ,hospital and ,well--,st4 ,mungo's ,well--,fuaran n',gruarach--,spring in ,athole--,fiddler's ,well--,water as a ,prophylactic4 ,healing and holy have an etymological kinship4 ,the one is commonly associated with matters relating to the body1 and the other with those relating to the soul4 ,if the body is healed1 it is said to be whole and its owner hale2 and if the soul is healed1 it is said to be holy4 ,all these words have one idea in common1 and hence we need not wonder that healing wells were1 as a rule1 reckoned holy wells1 and vice versa4 ,when speaking of the virtues of such wells1 ,mrs4 ,stone1 in her ,god's ,acre1 puts the point exactly1 if somewhat quaintly1 when she says1 ,before chemistry was born1 when medical science was little known1 these medical virtues1 so plainly and indisputably ostensible1 were attributed to the beneficence of the saint or angel to whom the spring had been dedicated4 ,many still go to ,moffat1 ,bridge-of-,allan1 and ,strathpeffer to drink the waters1 but probably1 none of those health-seekers now rely on magic for a cure4 ,it was quite otherwise in former times4 ,cures wrought at ,lourdes are still believed1 by many1 to be due to the blessing of the water by the ,virgin ,mary4 ,not far from the highway between ,ayr and ,prestwick once stood a lazar-house called ,king's ,ease or ,king's ,case1 known in the sixteenth century as ,kilcaiss4 ,its ruins were to be seen till well on in the present century4 ,according to tradition1 the hospital was founded for lepers by ,king ,robert ,bruce1 who was himself afflicted with a disease believed to be leprosy4 ,this was done as a thank-offering1 for benefit received from the water of a neighbouring well4 ,the spring was doubtless sacred to some saint1 probably to ,ninian1 to whom the hospital was dedicated1 and we can safely infer that the patron got the credit of the cure4 ,to maintain the lepers the king gifted various lands to the hospital1 among others1 those of ,robertlone1 in ,dundonald parish1 and of ,sheles and ,spital-,sheles1 in ,kyle ,stewart4 ,the right of presentation to the hospital was vested in the family of ,wallace of ,craigie4 ,at a later date the lands belonging to the charity passed into other hands4 ,in the third volume of his ,caledonia1 published in #ahbd1 ,chalmers remarks1 ,the only revenue that remained to it was the feu-duties payable from the lands granted in fee-firm1 and these1 amounting to #fd bolls of meal and #h marks ,scots of money1 with #af threaves of straw for thatching the hospital1 are still paid4 ,for more than two centuries past the diminished revenue has been shared among eight objects of charity in equal shares of #h bolls of meal and #a mark ,scots to each4 ,the leprosy having long disappeared1 the persons who are now admitted to the benefit of this charity are such as labour under diseases which are considered as incurable1 or such as are in indigent circumstances4 ,in the time of ,charles ,i41 the persons enjoying the benefit of the charity lived in huts or cottages in the vicinity of the chapel4 ,in #aghg the right of presentation was bought from the ,wallaces by the burgh of ,ayr1 and the poorhouse there is thus the lineal descendant of ,king ,robert's hospital4 ,mr4 ,r4 ,c4 ,hope1 in his ,holy ,wells1 alludes to the interesting fact that ,bruce had a free pass from the ,english king to visit ,muswell1 near ,london1 close to the site of the ,alexandra ,palace4 ,this well1 dedicated to ,st4 ,lazarus1 at one time belonged to the hospital order of ,st4 ,john's1 ,clerkenwell1 and was resorted to in cases of leprosy4 ,bruce's foundation at ,ayr recalls another at ,stony ,middleton1 in ,derbyshire4 ,the latter1 however1 was a chapel1 and not a hospital4 ,tradition says that a crusader1 belonging to the district1 was cured of leprosy by means of the mineral water there1 and that in gratitude he built a chapel and dedicated it to his patron saint1 ,martin4 ,in glancing at the history of holy wells1 it is not difficult to understand why certain springs were endowed with mysterious properties4 ,when there were no chemists to analyse mineral springs1 anyone tasting the water would naturally enough think that there was something strange about it1 a notion that would not vanish with the first draught4 ,the wonder1 too1 would grow if the water was found to put fresh vigour into wearied frames4 ,alum wells1 like the one in ,carnwath parish1 ,lanarkshire1 would1 through their astringent qualities1 arrest attention4 ,a well at ,halkirk1 ,caithness1 must have been a cause of wonder1 if we judge by the description given of it in the ,old ,statistical ,account of ,scotland1 where we read1 that on its surface lies always a thin beautiful kind of substance1 that varies like the plumage of the peacock displayed in all its glory to the rays of the sun4 ,the petrifying power of certain springs would also tend to bring them into notice4 ,there is a famous well of this kind near ,tarras ,water1 in ,canonbie parish1 ,dumfriesshire4 ,in ,kirkmaiden parish1 ,wigtownshire1 is a dropping cave1 known as ,peter's ,paps4 ,in former times it was resorted to by persons suffering from whooping-cough4 ,the treatment consisted in standing with upturned face below the drop1 and allowing it to fall into the open mouth4 ,for more than two centuries and a half1 the mineral waters of ,peterhead have been famous for both internal and external use1 though their fame is not now so great as formerly4 ,towards the end of the seventeenth century1 they were spoken of as one of the six wonders of ,buchan4 ,the principal well is situated to the south of the town1 and is popularly called the ,wine ,well4 ,its water is strongly impregnated with carbonic acid1 muriate of iron1 muriate of lime1 and muriate of soda4 ,the chalybeate spring in the ,moss of ,melshach1 in ,kennethmont parish1 had at one time a considerable local reputation for the cure of man and beast4 ,clothes of the former and harness of the latter were left beside the well4 ,visits were paid to it in the month of ,may4 ,another ,aberdeenshire health-resort formerly attracted many visitors1 viz41 ,pannanich1 near ,ballater1 with its four chalybeate springs4 ,these are said to have been accidentally discovered1 about the middle of last century1 but were then probably only rediscovered4 ,they were at first found beneficial in the case of scrofula1 and were afterwards deemed infallible in all diseases4 ,in his ,antiquities and ,scenery of the ,north of ,scotland1 ,cordiner1 under date #aggf1 writes3 ,in coming down these hilly regions1 stopped the first night at ',pananach-lodge3' an extensive building opposite to the strange rocks and pass of ,bolliter4 ,there1 a mineral well and baths1 whose virtues have been often experienced1 are become much frequented by the infirm4 ,the lodge1 containing a number of bed-chambers1 and a spacious public room1 is fitted up for the accommodation of those who come to take the benefit of the waters4 ,goat whey is also there obtained in the greatest perfection4 ,almost a century later1 another visitor to the spot1 viz41 ,queen ,victoria1 thus writes1 in her ,more ,leaves from the ,journal of a ,life in the ,highlands3 ,i had driven with ,beatrice to ,pannanich wells1 where ,i had been many years ago4 ,unfortunately1 almost all the trees which covered the hills have been cut down4 ,we got out and tasted the water1 which is strongly impregnated with iron1 and looked at the bath and at the humble1 but very clean1 accommodation in the curious little old inn1 which used to be very much frequented4 ,the ,well of ,spa1 at ,aberdeen1 was more famous in former times than it is now4 ,there are two springs1 both of them chalybeate4 ,the amount of iron in the water1 however1 diminished very considerably more than fifty years ago--a change due to certain digging operations in the neighbourhood4 ,the present structure connected with the well was renovated in #ahea4 ,it was built in #afgj to replace an earlier one1 repaired by ,george ,jamieson1 the artist1 but soon afterwards completely demolished by the overflowing of the adjoining ,denburn4 ,the present building1 according to ,mr4 ,a4 ,jervise1 in the fourth volume of the ,proceedings of the ,society of ,antiquaries of ,scotland1 bears representations of the ,scottish ,thistle1 the ,rose of ,england1 and the ,fleur-de-lis of ,france1 surmounting this inscription3-- ',as heaven gives me ,so give ,i thee4' ,below these words is a carving of the rising sun1 and the following altered quotation from ,horace3-- ',hoc fonte derivata ,salus ,in patriam populumque fluat4' ,it appears1 continues ,mr4 ,jervise1 that the virtues of this ,spa were early known and appreciated1 for in #afae record says that there was 'a long wyde stone which conveyed the waters from the spring1 with the portraicture of six ,apostles hewen upon either side thereof4' ,it is described as having then been 'verie old and worne4' ,an unusual kind of holy well1 viz41 one1 in which salt water takes the place of fresh1 is to be found in the case of the ,chapel ,wells in ,kirkmaiden parish1 ,wigtownshire1 half way between the bays of ,portankill and ,east ,tarbet4 ,about thirty yards to the north-west are the ruins of ,st4 ,medan's ,chapel1 partly artificial and partly natural1 a cave forming the inner portion4 ,in days gone by1 the spot was much frequented on the first ,sunday of ,may 7,o4,s471 called ,co' ,sunday1 after this cave or cove4 ,dr4 ,robert ,trotter1 who examined the chapel and the wells in #ahgj1 gives the results of the observations in the eighth volume of the ,proceedings of the ,society of ,antiquaries of ,scotland 7new series74 ,he says1 ,these wells--three natural cavities in a mass of porphyritic trap--are within the tide mark1 and are filled by the sea at high water of ordinary tides4 ,the largest is circular1 five feet in diameter at the top1 and four feet at one side1 shelving down to five feet at the other1 and is wider inside than at the top1 something like a kailpot in fact1 and it is so close to the edge of the rock that at one place its side is not two inches thick4 ,the other wells almost touch it1 and are about one foot six inches wide and deep respectively4 ,sickly children were brought to be bathed1 the time selected being just before sunrise4 ,dr4 ,trotter mentions that children are still brought occasionally1 sometimes from long distances4 ,the ceremony described to him by an eyewitness was as follows3--,the child was stripped naked1 and taken by the spaul--that is1 by one of the legs--and plunged headforemost into the big well till completely submerged2 it was then pulled out1 and the part held on by was dipped in the middle well1 and then the whole body was finished by washing the eyes in the smallest one1 altogether very like the ,achilles and ,styx business1 only much more thorough4 ,an offering was then left in the old chapel1 on a projecting stone inside the cave behind the west door1 and the cure was complete4 ,much uncertainty attaches to ,medan or ,medana1 the tutelar saint of the spot4 ,one legend makes her a contemporary of ,ninian4 ,according to another1 she lived about one hundred years later4 ,dr4 ,skene thinks she is probably the same as ,monenna1 otherwise ,edana1 who is said to have founded churches in ,galloway1 and at ,edinburgh1 ,stirling and ,longforgan4 ,kirkmaiden parish1 at one time called ,kirkmaiden in ,ryndis1 is believed to be named after her1 like the other parish known as ,kirkmaiden in ,farnes1 now united to the parish of ,glasserton4 ,an incident in her history has a bearing on the present subject4 ,according to the ,aberdeen ,breviary1 she fled from her home in ,ireland to escape from the importunities of a certain noble knight who sought to marry her4 ,accompanied by two handmaidens1 she crossed to ,galloway and took up her abode in the ,rhinns4 ,the knight followed her4 ,when ,medana saw him she placed herself along with her maidens on a rock in the sea4 ,by a miracle1 this rock became a boat1 and she was conveyed over the water to ,farnes4 ,again the knight appeared4 ,this time ,medana sought refuge among the branches of a tree1 and1 from this coign of vantage1 asked her lover what it was that made him pursue her so persistently4 ,your face and eyes1 replied the knight4 ,thereupon ,medana plucked out her eyes and threw them down at the feet of her lover1 who was so filled with grief and penitence that he immediately departed4 ,on the spot where her eyes fell a spring of water gushed forth1 and in it ,medana washed her face1 doubtless thereby restoring her sight4 ,there is much to favour the view taken by ,dr4 ,trotter3 that possibly the well was the original institution2 the cave a shelter or dwelling for the genius who discovered the miraculous virtues of the water1 and his successors2 and the chapel a later edition for the benefit of the clergy1 who supplanted the old religion by grafting ,christianity upon it1 ,st4 ,medana being a still later institution4 ,st4 ,catherine's ,balm ,well1 at ,liberton1 near ,edinburgh1 is still considered beneficial in the treatment of cutaneous affections4 ,the spring is situated on a small estate1 called after it1 ,st4 ,catherine's4 ,peter ,swave1 who visited ,scotland in #aece1 on a political mission1 mentions that near ,edinburgh there was a spot in a monastery where oil flowed out of the ground4 ,this was his way of describing the ,balm ,well4 ,bitumenous particles1 produced by decomposition of coal in seams beneath1 intermittently appear on the surface of the water4 ,this curious phenomenon must have attracted attention at a very early period1 and one can easily understand why the well was in consequence regarded with superstitious reverence4 ,when speaking of this well1 ,brome1 who visited ,scotland about #agjj1 observes1 ,it is of a marvellous nature1 for as the coal whereof it proceeds is very apt quickly to kindle into a flame1 so is the oil of a sudden operation to heal all scabs and tumours that trouble the outward skin2 and the head and hands are speedily healed by virtue of this oil1 which retains a very sweet smell4 ,according to ,boece1 the fountain sprang from a drop of oil1 brought to ,queen ,margaret of ,scotland1 from the tomb of ,st4 ,catherine on ,mount ,sinai4 ,the same writer mentions that ,queen ,margaret built a chapel to ,st4 ,catherine1 in the neighbourhood of the spring4 ,in #aejd an offering was made by ,james ,,iv4 in this chapel1 described as ,sanct ,kathrine's of the oly1 i4e41 oily well4 ,the later history of the spring is thus referred to by ,sir ,daniel ,wilson1 in his ,memorials of ,edinburgh in the ,olden ,time3 ,when ,james ,,vi4 returned to ,scotland1 in #afag1 he visited the well1 and commanded it to be enclosed with an ornamental building with a flight of steps to afford ready access to the healing waters2 but this was demolished by the soldiers of ,cromwell1 and the well now remains enclosed with plain stone-work1 as it was partially repaired at the ,restoration4 ,about three miles to the north of the well1 once stood the ,convent of ,st4 ,catherine of ,sienna--a religious foundation which gave name to the part of ,edinburgh still called ,the ,sciennes4 ,what ,sir ,daniel ,wilson describes as an unpicturesque fragment of the ruins served to the middle of the present century1 and perhaps1 even later1 as a sheep-fold for the flocks pasturing in the adjoining meadow4 ,lord ,cockburn1 in his ,memorials of ,his ,time1 mentions that in his boyhood1 about #aghe1 a large portion of the building survived4 ,before the ,reformation the nuns of this convent walked annually in solemn procession to the ,balm ,well4 ,the saints to whom the convent and the spring were respectively dedicated were1 of course1 not identical1 though bearing the same name4 ,the coincidence of name1 however1 evidently led to these yearly visits4 ,as it may be taken for granted that the two ,catherines were on friendly terms1 the pilgrimages doubtless proved a benefit to all who took part in them4 ,at any rate1 it is safe to assume that the health of the pilgrims would be the better1 and not the worse1 for their walk in the fresh country air4 ,in the valley below the ,dean ,bridge1 ,edinburgh1 close to the ,water of ,leith1 is the sulphur spring known as ,st4 ,bernard's ,well--traditionally connected with ,bernard the ,abbot of ,clairvaux4 ,in his ,journey through ,scotland1 about #agic1 ,heron remarks3 ,the citizens of ,edinburgh repaired eagerly to distant watering-places1 without inquiring whether they might find medicinal water at home4 ,but within these few years1 ,lord ,gardenstone became proprietor of ,st4 ,bernard's ,well4 ,his lordship's philanthropy and public spirit suggested to him the possibility of rendering its waters more useful to the public4 ,he has1 at a very considerable expense1 built a handsome ,grecian edifice over the spring1 in which the waters are distributed by a proper person1 and at a very trifling price4 ,his lordship's endeavours have accomplished his purpose4 ,the citizens of ,edinburgh are now persuaded that these waters are salutary in various cases2 and have1 particularly1 a singular tendency to give a good breakfasting appetite2 in consequence of which1 old and young1 males and females1 have1 for these two or three last summers1 crowded to pay their morning respects to ,hygeia in the chapel which ,lord ,gardenstone has erected to her4 ,the last allusion is to a statue of ,hygeia placed within the building on its erection1 in #aghi4 ,the goddess of health1 however1 eventually showed signs of decrepitude2 and1 about a hundred years later1 the original statue was replaced by one in marble through the liberality of the late ,mr4 ,william ,nelson1 who also restored the pump-room and made the surroundings more attractive4 ,coming next to consider the case of springs not possessing medicinal qualities1 in other words1 such as have no taste save that of clear and sparkling water1 we find here1 too1 many a trace of superstition4 ,springs of this kind were probably holy wells first1 and then healing wells4 ,we have already seen that1 in a large number of instances1 fountains became sacred through their connection with early saints4 ,it usually happened that the ,christian missionary took up his abode near some fountain1 or river1 whence he could get a supply of water for his daily needs4 ,in later times the well or stream was endowed with miraculous properties4 ,water was also used for purposes of bodily discipline4 ,it was a practice among some of the early saints to stand immersed in it while engaged in devotion4 ,the colder the water1 the better was it for the purpose4 ,special significance1 too1 was given to water through its connection with baptism1 particularly when the rite was administered to persons who had only recently emerged from heathenism4 ,at ,burghead1 in ,elginshire1 is an interesting rock-cut basin supplied with water from a spring4 ,burghead is known to have been the site of an early ,christian church1 and ,dr4 ,james ,macdonald believes that the basin in question was anciently used as a baptistery4 ,all trace of it1 and well-nigh all memory of it1 had vanished till the year #ahji4 ,extensive alterations were then in progress at the harbour1 and a scarcity of water was felt by the workmen4 ,a hazy tradition about the existence of a well1 where the ground sounded hollow when struck1 was revived4 ,digging operations were begun1 and1 at a depth of between twenty and thirty feet below the surface1 the basin was discovered4 ,we quote the following details from ,dr4 ,macdonald's article on the subject in the ,antiquary for ,april1 #ahib3--;,descending into a hollow by a flight of twenty well-worn steps1 most of them also hewn out of the solid rock1 we come upon the reservoir4 ,the dimensions of the basin or piscina are as follow--greatest breadth of the four sides1 ten feet eight inches1 eleven feet1 ten feet ten inches1 and ten feet seven inches respectively2 depth1 four feet four inches4 ,one part of the smooth bottom had been dug up at the time of the excavations1 either because it had projected above the rest1 as if for some one to stand upon1 or because it was thought that by doing so the capacity of the well and perhaps the supply of the water would be increased4 ,between the basin and the perpendicular sides of the reservoir a small ledge of sandstone has been left about two feet six inches in breadth4 ,these sides measure sixteen feet three inches1 sixteen feet seven inches1 sixteen feet nine inches1 and seventeen feet respectively2 and the height from the ledge upwards is eleven feet nine inches4 ,the angles1 both of the basin and its rock walls1 are well rounded4 ,in one corner the sandstone has been left in the form of a semi-circular pedestal1 measuring two feet nine inches by one foot ten inches1 and one foot two inches in height2 whilst in that diagonally opposite there is a circular hole1 five inches in diameter and one foot four inches in depth4 ,from the ledge1 as you enter1 two steps of irregular shape and rude workmanship lead down into the basin4 ,the sides of the reservoir are fissured and rent by displacement of the strata2 and portions of the rock1 that have given way from time to time1 have been replaced by modern masonry4 ,the arched roof is also modern4 ,an ,irish legend accounts for the origin of ,lough-shanan1 in ,county ,clare1 by connecting it with the baptism of ,senanus1 from whom it derived its name4 ,the saint1 while still an infant1 was miraculously gifted with speech and told his mother to pluck three rushes in a valley near her home4 ,when this was done1 a lake appeared1 and in it ,senanus was baptised according to a form of words prescribed by himself4 ,in the eighth volume of the ,proceedings of the ,society of ,antiquaries of ,scotland 7new series71 ,sir ,daniel ,wilson gives an account of the ancient burying-ground of ,kilbride1 some three miles from ,oban4 ,i had visited the venerable cemetery repeatedly1 he tells us1 and had carefully investigated its monuments1 without heeding the sacred fountain which wells up among the bracken and grass1 about a dozen yards from the gate of the churchyard1 and flows in a stream down the valley4 ,yet1 on inquiry1 ,i learned that it was familiarly known as ,tober-an-easbuig1 i4e41 ,the ,bishop's ,well or ,the ,holy ,well4 ,here1 as we may presume1 the primitive missionary and servant of ,st4 ,bridget1 by whom ,christianity was introduced into the wild district of ,lorne1 baptised his first converts2 and here1 through many succeeding generations1 the neophytes were signed with the sign of the cross1 and taught the mystic significance of the holy rite4 ,the thoughts suggested by the sight of a crystal spring are alluded to by ,mr4 ,hunt in his ,romances of the ,west of ,england1 where he says1 ,the tranquil beauty of the rising waters1 whispering the softest music1 like the healthful breathing of a sleeping infant1 sends a feeling of happiness through the soul of the thoughtful observer1 and the inner man is purified by its influence1 as the outer man is cleansed by ablution4 ,this is the poetic view2 but the superstitious view is not far to seek4 ,in the ,home of a ,naturalist1 ,mrs4 ,saxby thus recounts a ,shetland superstition of a gruesome kind3--,there is a fine spring well near ,watlie1 called ,heljabrn1 and the legend of it is this3 ,a wandering packman 7of the ,claud ,halcro class7 was murdered and flung into ,heljabrn4 ,its water had always been known to possess healing power1 and1 after becoming seasoned by the unfortunate pedlar's remains1 the virtue in the water became even more efficacious4 ,people came from far and near to procure the precious fluid4 ,all who took it away had to throw three stones or a piece of 'white money' into the well1 and the water never failed to cure disease4 ,on ,soutra ,hill1 the most westerly ridge of the ,lammermoors1 once stood the hospital built by ,malcolm ,,iv41 about #aafd1 for the reception of wayfarers4 ,it was dedicated to the ,holy ,trinity4 ,every vestige of the building was removed between forty and fifty years ago except a small aisle1 appropriated in the seventeenth century by the ,pringles of ,beatman's ,acre as a burial vault4 ,a short distance below the site of the hospital is a spring of pure water1 locally known as ,trinity ,well4 ,in former times it was much visited for its healing virtues4 ,a similar reputation was for long enjoyed by ,st4 ,mungo's ,well1 on the west side of ,st4 ,mungo's ,hill1 in the parish of ,huntly1 ,aberdeenshire4 ,in ,fortingall parish1 ,perthshire1 on the hillside near the ,old ,castle of ,garth1 is a limpid spring called by the natives ,fuaran n' ,gruarach1 and also ,fuaran n' ,druibh ,chasad1 signifying the ,well of the ,measles and the ,well of the ,whooping-,cough respectively4 ,mr4 ,james ,mackintosh ,gow describes the locality in an article in the eighth volume of the ,proceedings of the ,society of ,antiquaries of ,scotland 7new series74 ,he says1 ,it was famous in the district for the cure of these infantile diseases1 and nearly all ,i spoke to on the subject had themselves been taken to the well1 or had taken their own children to drink the water2 and when an epidemic of the maladies occurred my informant remarked on the curious and amusing spectacle the scene presented on a summer morning1 when groups of children1 with their mothers1 went up the hill in procession4 ,the last epidemic of whooping-cough occurred in #ahhb1 when all the children of the neighbourhood were taken to the well4 ,some forty yards higher up the slope than the well1 is an earth-fast boulder of mica schist1 having on one of its sides two natural cavities4 ,the larger of these holds about a quart and is usually filled with rain water4 ,it was the custom1 ,mr4 ,gow tells us1 to carry the water from the well 7perhaps the well was at one time at the foot of the stone7 and place it in the cavity1 and then give the patients as much as they could take1 the water being administered with a spoon made from the horn of a living cow1 called a beodhare or living horn2 this1 it appears1 being essential to effect a cure4 ,on the farm of ,balandonich1 in ,athole1 is a spring famous1 till a comparatively recent period1 for the cure of various maladies4 ,a story is told in the district of a woman1 unable to walk through rheumatism1 having been brought in a wheel-barrow from her home four miles away4 ,she bathed her limbs in the spring1 and returned home on foot4 ,hugh ,miller1 in his ,scenes and ,legends of the ,north of ,scotland1 recounts a tradition concerning a certain spring near the town of ,cromarty known as ,fiddler's ,well1 from the name of the young man who discovered its virtues4 ,the water gushes out from the side of a bank covered with moss and daisies4 ,the tradition1 considerably abbreviated1 is as follows3--,william ,fiddler and a companion were seized with consumption at the same time4 ,the latter died not long afterwards1 and ,fiddler1 though wasted to a shadow1 was able to follow his friend's body to the grave4 ,that night1 in a dream1 he heard the voice of his dead companion1 who told him to meet him at a certain spot in the neighbourhood of the town4 ,thither he went1 still in his dream1 and seated himself on a bank to await his coming4 ,then1 remembering that his friend was dead1 he burst into tears4 ,at this moment a large field-bee came humming from the west and began to fly round his head4444 ,it hummed ceaselessly round and round him1 until at length its murmurings seemed to be fashioned into words1 articulated in the voice of his deceased companion--',dig1 ,willie1 and drink6' it said1 ',dig1 ,willie1 and drink6' ,he accordingly set himself to dig1 and no sooner had he torn a sod out of the bank than a spring of clear water gushed from the hollow4 ,next day he took the bee's advice4 ,he found a spring1 drank the water1 and regained his health4 ,hugh ,miller adds1 its virtues are still celebrated1 for though the water be only simple water it must be drunk in the morning1 and as it gushes from the bank2 and1 with pure air1 exercise1 and early rising for its auxiliaries1 it continues to work cures4 ,we need not multiply examples of non-mineral healing wells4 ,whatever benefit may be derived from them cannot be ascribed to any specially medicinal quality in their waters4 ,the secret of their popularity is to be sought for in the annals of medical folklore1 and not in those of scientific medicine4 ,certain springs got the credit of warding off disease4 ,on the island of ,gigha1 near the west coast of ,kintyre1 is a farm called ,ardachad or ,high ,field4 ,tradition says that a plague once visited the island1 but that the people1 belonging to the farm1 escaped its ravages4 ,this immunity was ascribed to the good offices of a well1 in an adjoining field4 ,the high situation of the farm and the presence of good water would tend to prolong health1 without the intervention of magic4 ,the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,gregor1 in his ,folklore of the ,north-,east of ,scotland1 alludes to ,st4 ,olaus' ,well in ,cruden parish1 ,aberdeenshire4 ,its virtues are recorded in the couplet-- ,st4 ,olav's ,well1 low by the sea ,where peat nor plague shall never be4 ,on the top of the ,touch ,hills1 in ,stirlingshire1 rises ,st4 ,corbet's ,spring4 ,the belief formerly prevailed that whoever drank its water before sunrise on the first ,sunday of ,may would have life prolonged for another year4 ,as a consequence1 crowds flocked to the spot early on the day in question4 ,in #ahdj some old people were still living who1 in their younger days1 had taken part in these annual pilgrimages4 ,in medival times1 the belief prevailed that no one baptised with the water of ,trinity ,gask ,well1 ,perthshire1 would be attacked by the plague4 ,when water for baptism was drawn from some holy well in the neighbourhood1 its use1 in most instances1 was doubtless due to a belief in its prophylactic power4 ,as already mentioned1 baptisms in ,st4 ,machar's ,cathedral1 ,old ,aberdeen1 were at one time administered in water taken from the saint's spring4 ,before the ,reformation the water used at the chapel of ,airth1 in ,stirlingshire1 is believed to have been procured from a well1 dedicated to the ,virgin1 near ,abbeyton ,bridge4 ,we do not know of any spring in ,scotland with a reputation for the prevention of hydrophobia4 ,st4 ,maelrubha's ,well1 on ,innis ,maree1 is said to have lost its efficacy for a time through contact with a mad dog4 ,what happened1 when a mad bull was plunged into the ,holy ,pool at ,strathfillan1 will be alluded to later4 ,in the village of ,les ,saintes ,maries1 in the south of ,france1 is an interesting twelfth-century church with a well in the crypt4 ,the water1 when drunk1 is said to prevent any evil consequences from the bite of a mad dog4 ,mr4 ,e4 ,h4 ,barker gives an account of this well in his ,wayfaring in ,france4 ,he says1 ,the cur told me that about thirty people1 who had been bitten by dogs said to be rabid1 came annually to drink the water2 and1 he added1 'not one of them has ever gone mad4' ,m4 ,pasteur had become a formidable rival of the well4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,water-,,cures4 ,trying different ,springs--,curing all ,diseases--,fivepennies ,well --,water and ,dulse--,special ,diseases--,toothache--,sore ,eyes-- ,blindness--,headaches and ,nervous ,disorders--,deafness-- ,whooping-cough--,gout--,sores--,ague--, sterility--,epilepsy-- ,sacrifice of a ,cock--,st4 ,tegla's ,well--,insanity--,severe ,treatment --,innis-,maree--,struthill--,teampull-, mr--,hol y ,pool--,fillan's ,history and ,relics--,persistence of ,superstition4 ,some people apply to different doctors in succession1 in the hope that new professional advice may bring the coveted boon of health4 ,for the same reason visits were paid to different consecrated wells4 ,on the principle that far fowls have fair feathers1 a more or less remote spring was resorted to1 in the hope that distance might lend special enchantment to its water4 ,certain springs had the reputation of healing every ailment4 ,a spring of this kind is what ,martin calls a catholicon for all diseases4 ,he so styles various springs in the ,western ,isles1 and one in the ,larger ,cumbrae in the ,firth of ,clyde4 ,fivepennies ,well1 in ,eigg1 had some curious properties4 ,the natives told me1 he says1 that it never fails to cure any person of their first disease1 only by drinking a quantity of it for the space of two or three days2 and that if a stranger lie at this well in the night-time1 it will procure a deformity in some part of his body1 but has no such effect on a native2 and this1 they say1 hath been frequently experimented4 ,a noted fountain in the ,orkney group was the well of ,kildinguie in the ,island of ,stronsay4 ,it is situated not far from the beach4 ,to reach it one has to walk over a long stretch of sand4 ,its fame at one time spread over the ,scandinavian world1 and even ,denmark sent candidates for its help4 ,besides drinking the water1 health-seekers frequently ate some of the dulse to be found on the shore4 ,a local saying thus testified to the advantages of the combined treatment3 ,the well of ,kildinguie and the dulse of ,guiyidn can cure all maladies except black death4 ,in the ,island of ,skye is a spring called ,tobar ,tellibreck4 ,the natives1 at one time1 held that its water1 along with a diet of dulse1 would serve for a considerable time instead of ordinary food4 ,other springs were resorted to for particular complaints4 ,toothache is distressingly common1 and commonly distressing2 but1 strange to say1 very few wells are specially identified with the ailment4 ,indeed1 we know of only three toothache wells in ,scotland4 ,one is in ,strathspey1 and is known as ,fuaran ,fiountag1 signifying the cool refreshing spring4 ,the second is in the parish of ,kenmore1 at the foot of ,loch ,tay4 ,the third is in ,glentruim1 in ,inverness-shire4 ,another well at ,kenmore was resorted to for the cure of sore eyes4 ,in the parish of ,glass1 close to the river ,deveron1 is an ancient church dedicated to ,st4 ,wallach4 ,some thirty yards below its burying-ground is a well1 now dry1 except in very rainy weather4 ,its water had the power of healing sore eyes4 ,the water of ,st4 ,john's ,well1 at ,balmanno1 in the parish of ,marykirk1 ,kincardineshire1 was a sovereign remedy for the same complaint4 ,beside the road close to the farmhouse of ,wester ,auchleskine1 at ,balquhidder1 in ,perthshire1 once stood a large boulder containing a natural cavity4 ,the water in this hollow was also noted for the cure of sore eyes--the boulder being called in consequence ,clach-nan-,sul1 i4e41 the stone of the eyes4 ,in #ahgh1 by order of the road trustees1 the boulder was blasted1 on the ground that it was a source of danger to vehicles in the dark1 and its fragments were used as road metal4 ,the ,dow ,well1 at ,innerleithen1 was formerly much visited for the restoration of weak sight4 ,a well in ,cornwall1 dedicated to ,st4 ,ludvan1 miraculously quickened the sense of sight4 ,in ,ireland1 a spring at ,gougou ,barra1 between ,glengariff and ,cork1 is believed by the peasantry to cure blindness4 ,in #ahdi1 ,miss ,bessie ,gilbert1 a daughter of the late ,bishop ,gilbert of ,chichester1 who had lost her sight when a child1 visited the spring along with some of her relatives4 ,curiosity1 however1 was her only motive4 ,her biographer relates that the guide besought ,bessie in the most earnest and pathetic manner to try the water1 saying that he was sure it would restore her sight1 and entreating her brothers and sisters to urge her to make use of it4 ,headaches and nervous disorders were cured by water from ,tobar-nim-buadh or the ,well of ,virtues in ,st4 ,kilda4 ,deafness was also cured by it4 ,at the entrance to ,munlochy ,bay1 in the ,black ,isle of ,cromarty1 is a cave known in the neighbourhood as ,craig-a-,chow1 i4e41 the ,rock of ,echo4 ,tradition says that in this cave a giant once lived4 ,if not the retreat of a giant1 it was1 at any rate1 of smugglers4 ,what specially concerns us is that it contains a dripping well1 formerly much in request4 ,its water is particularly cold4 ,like the ,st4 ,kilda spring1 it was believed to remove deafness4 ,of ,whooping-cough ,wells1 a noted one was at ,straid1 in ,muthill parish1 ,perthshire4 ,invalids came to it from considerable distances4 ,early in the present century a family travelled from ,edinburgh to seek its aid4 ,the water was drunk immediately after sunset or before sunrise1 and a horn from a live ox had to convey it to the patient's lips4 ,this was not an uncommon practice4 ,perhaps it may have been due to some vague notion1 that life from the animal1 whence the horn came1 would be handed on1 via the spoon and the water1 to the invalid4 ,the ,straid horn was kept by a woman in the immediate neighbourhood1 who acted as a sort of priestess of the well4 ,a well at the ,burn of ,oxhill1 in the parish of ,rathven1 ,banffshire1 had a local celebrity for the cure of the same complaint4 ,sufferers from gout tried the efficacy of a spring in ,eckford parish1 ,roxburghshire1 styled ,holy ,well or ,priest's ,well4 ,a spring in the churchyard of ,logiepert parish1 ,forfarshire1 removed sores1 and another in ,martin's ,den1 in the same parish1 was reckoned anti-scorbutic4 ,another noted ,forfarshire spring was in ,kirkden parish1 with the reputation of curing swellings of the feet and legs4 ,lochinbreck ,loch1 in ,balmaghie parish1 ,kirkcudbrightshire1 was visited from time immemorial for the cure of ague4 ,indeed1 there was hardly a bodily ailment that could not be relieved by the water of some consecrated spring4 ,springs were sometimes believed to cure female barrenness4 ,wives1 anxious to become mothers1 formerly visited such wells as those of ,st4 ,fillan at ,comrie1 and of ,st4 ,mary at ,whitekirk1 and in the ,isle of ,may4 ,in this connection1 ,mr4 ,j4 ,r4 ,walker1 in his article in the ,proceedings of the ,society of ,antiquaries of ,scotland1 volume v4 7new series71 observes1 ,many of the wells dedicated to ',our ,lady1' i4e41 ,st4 ,mary 7,virgin ,mary7 and to ,st4 ,brigid1 the ,mary of ,ireland1 were famous for the cure of female sterility1 which1 in the days when a man's power and influence in the land depended on the number of his clan or tribe1 was looked upon as a token of the divine displeasure1 and was viewed by the unfortunate spouses with anxious apprehension1 dread1 doubt1 jealousy1 and pain4 ,prayer and supplication were obviously the methods pursued by the devout for obtaining the coveted gift of fertility1 looked upon1 by females especially1 as the most valuable of heavenly dispensations2 and making pilgrimages to wells under the patronage of the ,mother of our ,lord would naturally be one of the most common expedients4 ,epilepsy1 with its convulsions and cries1 seldom fails to arrest attention and call forth sympathy4 ,in times less enlightened than our own1 the disease was regarded with awe as of supernatural origin2 and remedies1 always curious and sometimes revolting1 were tried in order to bring relief4 ,we may assume that the water of consecrated springs was used for this purpose2 but1 as far as we know1 no ,scottish fountain was systematically visited by epileptic patients4 ,after enumerating a variety of folk-cures for the disease in question1 ,sir ,arthur ,mitchell1 in an article on ,highland ,superstitions bearing on ,lunacy in the ,proceedings of the ,society of ,antiquaries of ,scotland1 volume iv41 remarks1 ,for the cure of the same disease1 there is still practised in the ,north of ,scotland a formal sacrifice--not an oblique but a literal and downright sacrifice--to a nameless but secretly acknowledged power1 whose propitiation is desired4 ,on the spot where the epileptic first falls a black cock is buried alive1 along with a lock of the patient's hair and some parings of his nails4 ,i have seen at least three epileptic idiots for whom this is said to have been done4 ,the same writer adds1 ,dr4 ,g----1 of ,n----1 informs me that some time ago he was called on to visit a poor man belonging to the fishing population who had suddenly died1 and who had been subject to epileptic seizures4 ,his friends told the doctor that at least they had the comfort of knowing that everything had been done for him which could have been done4 ,on asking what remedies they had tried1 he was told that1 among other things1 a cock had been buried alive below his bed1 and the spot was pointed out4 ,this sacrifice of a cock in ,scotland is of special significance1 for it formed a distinctive feature of the ritual once in vogue in ,wales at the village of ,llandegla1 ,denbighshire4 ,st4 ,tegla's ,well there1 was believed to possess peculiar virtue in curing epilepsy4 ,pennant gives a minute account of the ceremony as practised in his days4 ,the following is a summary3--,about two hundred yards from the church rises a small spring4 ,the patient washes his limbs in the well1 makes an offering into it of fourpence1 walks round it three times1 and thrice repeats the ',lord's ,prayer4' ,these ceremonies are never begun till after sunset4 ,if the afflicted be of the male sex1 he makes an offering of a cock2 if of the fair sex1 a hen4 ,the fowl is carried in a basket1 first round the well1 after that into the churchyard1 when the same orisons and the same circumambulations are performed round the church4 ,the votary then enters the church1 gets under the communion table1 lies down with the ,bible under his or her head1 is covered with the carpet or cloth1 and rests there till break of day1 departing after offering sixpence1 and leaving the fowl in the church4 ,if the bird dies1 the cure is supposed to have been effected1 and the disease transferred to the devoted victim4 ,as regards the cock or hen1 the ceremony in this case was quite as much a sacrifice as in the ,scottish example4 ,st4 ,tegla merely took the place of the pagan divinity who had been first in the field1 and to whom offerings had been made4 ,in former times1 sacrificing a living animal was also resorted to occasionally to cure disease in cattle4 ,an ox was buried alive in a pit1 and the pit having been filled with earth1 the other members of the herd were made to walk over the spot4 ,in #afbi1 ,isabel ,young1 spouse to ,george ,smith1 portioner of ,east ,barnes1 ,haddingtonshire1 was tried for witchcraft4 ,from her indictment we learn that she was accused1 inter alia1 of having buried a quick ox1 with a cat and a quantity of salt1 in a pit as a sacrifice to the devil1 the truth being that a live ox had been so treated by her husband as a charm to cure his cattle1 which were diseased4 ,a remarkable circumstance bearing on this point is alluded to by ,mr4 ,a4 ,w4 ,moore in his ,surnames and ,place-names of the ,isle of ,man1 under the heading of ,cabbal-yn-,oural-,losht1 i4e41 ,chapel of the ,burnt ,sacrifice4 ,this name1 he tells us1 records a circumstance which took place in the nineteenth century1 but which1 it is to be hoped1 was never customary in the ,isle of ,man4 ,a farmer1 who had lost a number of his sheep and cattle by murrain1 burnt a calf as a propitiatory offering to the ,deity on this spot1 where a chapel was afterwards built4 ,such facts point to the same notion as that already indicated in connection with ,st4 ,tegla's ,well1 viz41 that disease is due to some malignant being1 whose favour is to be sought by the offering up of a living creature4 ,in no department of medical science have methods of treatment changed more within recent years than in that of insanity4 ,enlightened views on the subject now prevail among the educated classes of society2 and the old notion that a maniac can be restored to mental health by treating him like a criminal1 or by administering a few shocks to his already excited nerves1 is fortunately a thing of the past4 ,at least it no longer holds sway in our lunatic asylums4 ,in the minds of the ignorant and credulous1 however1 the old leaven still works4 ,lady ,wilde1 in her ,ancient ,cures1 ,charms1 and ,usages of ,ireland1 alludes to a method of treatment in fashion till lately among the peasantry there4 ,when anyone showed signs of insanity 'a witch-doctor' was called in4 ,this potent individual sprinkled holy water about the room and over the patient2 and after uttering certain incantations--understood by the by-standers to be ',latin prayers'--proceeded to beat him with a stout cudgel4 ,in the end the ravings of the lunatic ceased1 or as it was put1 the devil was driven out of him4 ,in ,cornwall1 at ,st4 ,nun's ,well1 the expulsive power of a new terror used to be tried4 ,according to ,carew1 the modus operandi was as follows3--,the water running from ,st4 ,nun's ,well fell into a square and enclosed walled plat1 which might be filled at what depth they listed4 ,upon this wall was the frantic person put to stand1 his back towards the pool1 and from thence1 with a sudden blow in the breast1 tumbled headlong into the pond2 where a strong fellow1 provided for the nonce1 took him and tossed him up and down1 alongst and athwart the water1 till the patient1 by foregoing his strength1 had somewhat forgot his fury4 ,then was he conveyed to the church1 and certain masses said over him1 upon which handling1 if his right wits returned1 ,st4 ,nun had the thanks2 but if there appeared small amendment1 he was bowsened again and again1 while there remained in him any hope of life or recovery4 ,north of the ,tweed the treatment was hardly less soothing4 ,when a lunatic was being rowed over to ,innis ,maree to drink the water of ,st4 ,maelrubha's ,well there1 he was jerked out of the boat by the friends who accompanied him4 ,a rope had previously been tied round his waist1 and by this he was pulled back into the boat2 but before he could gather together his all-too-scattered wits1 he was in the water again4 ,as a rule this was done1 not once or twice1 but repeatedly1 and in the case of both sexes4 ,such was the method up to a comparatively recent date4 ,pennant thus describes what was done in #aggb3--,the patient is brought into the sacred island2 is made to kneel before the altar1 viz41 the stump of a tree--where his attendants leave an offering in money2 he is then brought to the well and sips some of the holy water2 a second offering is made2 that done1 he is thrice dipped in the lake2 and the same operation is repeated every day for some weeks4 ,this towing after a boat to cure insanity was not an isolated instance4 ,early in the present century1 the wife of a man living at ,stromness in ,orkney1 went mad through the incantations of another female believed to be a witch4 ,the man bethought him of the cure in question1 and1 out of love for his afflicted wife1 dragged her several times up and down the harbour behind his boat4 ,mr4 ,r4 ,m4 ,fergusson1 who mentions this case in his ,rambles in the ,far ,north1 says that the woman bobbed about behind the boat like a cork1 and remained as mad as ever4 ,the well at ,struthill1 in ,muthill parish1 ,perthshire1 once had a considerable reputation for the cure of insanity4 ,it was customary to tie patients at night to a stone near the spring1 and recovery would follow if they were found loose in the morning4 ,an adjoining chapel was ordered to be demolished in #afej by the ,presbytery of ,auchterarder1 on the ground of its being the scene of certain superstitious rites1 but the spring continued to be visited till a much later date4 ,at ,teampull-mr in ,lewis1 in addition to walking round the ruins1 and being sprinkled with water from ,st4 ,ronan's ,well1 the insane person was bound and left all night in the chapel on the site of the altar4 ,if he slept1 he would recover2 but if he remained awake1 there was no hope of a cure4 ,in the ,struthill and ,teampull-mr instances1 as well as that of ,strathfillan mentioned below1 the binding of the patient was an essential part of the treatment2 and in two at least of the cases the loosening of the bonds was reckoned an omen of good4 ,the mysterious loosening of bonds used to be an article of common belief4 ,dalyell1 in his ,darker ,superstitions of ,scotland1 remarks1 ,animals were sometimes liberated supernaturally4 ,in the ,isle of ,enhallow1 a horse tied up at sunset would wander about through the night2 and while the kirk session took cognisance of a suspected witch who had exercised her faculties on a cow1 the animal1 though firmly secured1 was found to be free1 and in their vicinity when the investigation closed4 ,the ,holy ,pool of ,st4 ,fillan was famous for the cure of various diseases1 but specially of insanity4 ,it is referred to in ,marmion as ,st4 ,fillan's blessed well ,whose springs can frenzied dreams dispel ,and the craz'd brain restore4 ,it is not1 however1 a well1 but a pool1 in the river ,fillan1 about two miles lower down than ,tyndrum4 ,to correctly estimate the reverence paid to this sacred pool1 we must glance at the influence1 exerted by ,fillan on the district during his life-time1 and afterwards by means of his relics4 ,the saint flourished in the early eighth century4 ,he was born in ,ireland4 ,his father was ,ferodach1 and his mother was ,kentigerna1 daughter of a prince of ,leinster4 ,she afterwards came to ,scotland and led the life of a recluse1 on ,inch ,cailleach1 an island in ,loch ,lomond4 ,according to the ,aberdeen ,breviary1 ,fillan was born with a stone in his mouth1 and was at once thrown into a lake where he was ministered to by angels for a year4 ,he was then taken out and baptised by ,bishop ,ybarus1 and at a later date received the monastic habit from ,muna1 otherwise called ,mundus4 ,devoting himself to solitary meditation he built a cell close to ,muna's monastery4 ,on one occasion1 a servant went to call him to supper1 and looking through a chink in the wall1 saw the saint busy writing1 his uplifted left hand throwing light over the book in lieu of a candle4 ,whatever may be thought of the incident1 few will deny its picturesqueness4 ,in competent hands it might be made the subject of a striking picture4 ,fillan afterwards went to ,lochalsh1 where he dedicated a church to his uncle ,congan1 the founder of the monastery of ,turriff1 in ,aberdeenshire4 ,we next find ,fillan in the principal scene of his missionary work1 viz41 in ,glendochart1 in that portion of the glen anciently called ,siracht1 and now ,strathfillan4 ,this area formed a separate parish till #afag1 but was then united to the parish of ,killin4 ,fillan arrived with seven serving clerics1 and tradition says that he built his church at a spot miraculously pointed out to him4 ,the neighbourhood was1 and is full of interest4 ,glendochart1 writes ,mr4 ,charles ,stewart in ,an ,gaidheal1 is not celebrated for terrific mountain scenery like ,glencoe or the ,coolins1 but has a grandeur of a different character4 ,lofty mountains1 clothed1 here in heather1 there in green2 cloudy shadows frequently flitting across their sides1 and serried ridges of multiplied lines and forms of varied beauty1 and along their sides strangely shaped stones and boulders of rocks deposited by the ancient glaciers4 ,along the strath there are stretches of water1 its course broken occasionally by lochs2 sometimes wending its way slowly and solemnly through green meadows1 and anon rushing along as at the celebrated bridge of ,dochart1 at ,killin1 with fire and fury4 ,the same writer mentions that three spots1 where ,fillan was wont to teach the natives of the ,strath1 are still pointed out1 viz41 at the upper end of ,glendochart1 where the priory was afterwards built1 halfway down the glen at ,dun-ribin1 and at the lower end at ,cnoc-a-bheannachd1 i4e41 ,hill of the ,blessing1 near ,killin4 ,fillan instructed the people in agriculture1 and built mills for grinding corn4 ,out of compliment to him1 the mill at ,killin was idle on his festival1 7,jan4 #ith71 as late as the middle of the present century4 ,indeed there was a superstition in the district that it would not be lucky to have it working on that day4 ,fillan also instituted fairs for the sale and barter of local produce4 ,his fair is still held at ,killin in ,january4 ,the miraculous element in his history did not end with his life4 ,he seems to have died somewhere about ,lochearn1 and his body was brought back to ,glendochart1 by way of ,glen ,ogle4 ,when the bearers reached the point where ,glendochart opens upwards and downwards1 a dispute arose as to the destination of their burden4 ,some wished the saint's body to be buried at ,killin and others at ,strathfillan4 ,behold a marvel6 ,when they could not agree1 they found that instead of one coffin there were two1 and so each party was satisfied4 ,robert ,bruce's fight with the followers of ,macdougall of ,lorne took place near ,st4 ,fillan's ,church1 at a spot1 afterwards named ,dalrigh or the ,king's ,field4 ,on that occasion1 an earnest prayer was addressed to the saint of the district1 and through his intercession victory came to ,bruce4 ,so at least runs the legend4 ,after his success at ,bannockburn1 the ,king in gratitude founded ,st4 ,fillan's ,priory1 in ,strathfillan1 and endowed it with the neighbouring lands of ,auchtertyre1 and with the sheep-grazing of ,bein-mhannach or the ,monk's ,mountain1 in ,glenlyon4 ,indeed1 if tradition speaks truth1 ,bruce had a double reason to be grateful to ,fillan1 for the victory at ,bannockburn1 was attributed to the presence in the ,scottish camp1 of a relic of the saint1 said to be an arm-bone set in silver4 ,the relic1 however1 as ,dr4 ,john ,stuart shows1 in the twelfth volume of the ,proceedings of the ,society of ,antiquaries of ,scotland1 was probably his ,coig-gerach or pastoral staff1 popularly1 but erroneously called his ,quigrich4 ,it is said to have been kept at ,auchlyne1 in a chapel called ,caipal-na-,faraichd1 and when the chapel was burnt to have been rescued by a person1 either then1 or afterwards1 called ,doire or ,dewar1 whose descendants became its custodiers4 ,the subsequent history of the relic is curious4 ,in #aghb it was at ,killin in the keeping of ,malice ,doire4 ,in #ahah it was taken to ,canada1 where it remained for some sixty years4 ,through the patriotic zeal of ,sir ,daniel ,wilson it was then sent back to ,scotland1 and now forms one of the treasures in the ,national ,museum of ,antiquities1 at ,edinburgh4 ,the sanctity of ,fillan thus distilled like a fertilising dew over the district of ,glendochart4 ,we need not1 therefore1 be surprised that1 in days darker than our own1 a thriving crop of superstitions was the result4 ,it is certainly a striking testimony to the enduring influence of the saint1 that the pool1 believed to have been blessed by him1 retained its fame till within the memory of persons still living4 ,possibly the pool was reverenced even before his time4 ,towards the end of last century1 as many as two hundred persons were brought annually to the spot4 ,the time selected was usually the first day of the quarter1 7,o4,s471 and the immersion took place after sunset4 ,the patients1 with a rope tied round their waist1 were thrown from the bank into the river4 ,this was usually done thrice4 ,according to previous instructions1 they picked up nine stones from the bottom of the stream4 ,after their dip they walked three times round three cairns in the immediate neighbourhood1 and at each turn added a stone to the cairn4 ,an ,english antiquary1 who visited the spot in #agih1 writes1 ,if it is for any bodily pain1 fractured limb or sore1 that they are bathing1 they throw upon one of these cairns that part of their clothing which covered the part affected2 also1 if they have at home any beast that is diseased1 they have only to bring some of the meal which it feeds upon and make it into paste with these waters1 and afterwards give it to him to eat1 which will prove an infallible cure2 but they must likewise throw upon the cairn the rope or halter with which he was led4 ,consequently the cairns are covered with old halters1 gloves1 shoes1 bonnets1 nightcaps1 rags of all sorts1 kilts1 petticoats1 garters1 and smocks4 ,sometimes they go as far as to throw away their halfpence4 ,after the ceremony at the cairns the patient was led to the ruins of ,st4 ,fillan's ,chapel1 about half a mile away1 and there tied to a stone with a hollow in it1 large enough to receive the body1 the unfortunate person being fastened down to a wooden framework4 ,the patient was then covered with hay1 and left in this condition all night4 ,as at ,struthill1 if the bonds were found loose in the morning1 he or she would recover2 but if not1 the case was counted hopeless1 or at least doubtful4 ,as the writer of the article on the parish1 in the ,new ,statistical ,account of ,scotland1 shrewdly observes1 ,the prospect of the ceremony1 especially in a cold winter evening1 might be a good test for persons pretending insanity4 ,at the time when he wrote1 viz41 in #ahdc1 the natives of the parish had ceased to believe in the efficacy of the holy pool1 but it was still visited by invalids from a distance4 ,it was usual1 after the fastening process already described1 to place ,st4 ,fillan's bell on the head of the patient by way of helping on the cure4 ,this bell is quadrangular in shape4 ,its size and appearance are thus described by ,dr4 ,joseph ,anderson in his ,scotland in ,early ,christian ,times3 ,it is an elegant casting of bronze1 stands twelve inches high and measures nine by six inches wide at the mouth4 ,the ends are flat1 the sides bulging1 the top rounded4 ,in the middle of the top is the loop-like handle1 terminating where it joins the bell in two dragonesque heads with open mouths4 ,the bell weighs eight pounds fourteen ounces4 ,in the fifteenth century the relic seems to have been held in special honour1 for it graced the coronation of ,james ,,iv4 in #adhh4 ,after the ,reformation1 it was locked up for some time1 to prevent its use for the superstitious purpose alluded to above4 ,but1 as a rule1 it lay on a tombstone in the ,priory graveyard1 protected only by the reverence paid to it in the district4 ,there was a belief that1 if carried off1 it would return of its own accord1 ringing all the way4 ,in #agih this belief was put to a severe test1 for in that year the ,english antiquary1 already quoted1 removed the relic4 ,in order1 he says1 to ascertain the truth or falsehood of the ridiculous story of ,st4 ,fillan's bell1 ,i carried it off with me1 and mean to convey it1 if possible1 to ,england4 ,an old woman1 who observed what ,i was about1 asked me what ,i wanted with the bell1 and ,i told her that ,i had an unfortunate relation at home out of his mind1 and that ,i wanted to have him cured4 ',oh1 but1' says she1 'you must bring him here to be cured1 or it will be of no use4' ,upon which ,i told her he was too ill to be moved1 and off ,i galloped with the bell back to ,tyndrum ,inn4 ,the bell was taken to ,england4 ,about seventy years later1 its whereabouts was discovered1 and it was sent back to ,scotland4 ,like the crozier of the same saint1 it is now in the ,antiquarian ,museum at ,edinburgh4 ,if we may believe a local tradition1 the ,holy ,pool lost its miraculous virtue in the following manner1 though1 after what the ,english antiquary mentioned about its water being mixed with meal1 and given to diseased cattle1 we see no reason why it should have been so particular4 ,a farmer who had a mad bull thought that1 if the sacred water could heal human ills1 it would be efficacious also in the case of the lower animals4 ,so he plunged his infuriated beast into the stream4 ,what was the effect on the bull we do not know3 but since then the virtue has departed from the water4 ,except for a pleasure dip on a hot summer's day1 no one need now apply at the ,holy ,pool4 ,the unbroken reputation of such health resorts1 for centuries1 is certainly remarkable4 ,strathfillan kept up its fame for over a thousand years4 ,at ,gheel1 in ,belgium1 for fully twelve hundred years1 successive generations of lunatics sought relief at ,st4 ,dympna's ,well4 ,we must not be too hard on the ages before our own2 for1 though in some respects dark1 in other respects they had a good deal of light4 ,nevertheless1 severe things might be said about them4 ,from a present-day point of view1 it might be argued that those1 who took their insane friends to get cured in the manner described1 required1 like the patients themselves1 a little rearrangement of their wits4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,some ,,wonderful ,,wells4 ,wells ,wonderful as to ,origin--,tre ,fontane--,springs where ,saints were ,beheaded--,st4 ,alban's ,spring--,covenanter's ,spring--,st4 ,vynning's ,spring--,scottish and ,english ,hagiology--,springs from ,graves--,cuthbert--,milburga--,mysterio us ,lakes--,hell-,hole at ,tunstall--,king ,henry's ,well-- ,bringing ,sea to ,morpeth--,plymouth ,water-supply--,fitz's ,well--,good ,appetite--,dogs' ,well--,singular ,springs in ,lewis and ,barray--,well in the ,wall--,toubir-ni-,lechkin--,power of ,wells over ,lower ,animals--,black ,mere--,well at ,gillsland--,intermittent ,springs--,powbate ,well--,st4 ,ludvan's ,well--,st4 ,keyne's ,well4 ,the epithet wonderful may fitly be applied to whatever springs are endowed by popular credulity with mysterious properties4 ,those already considered have been mainly associated with the removal or prevention of disease4 ,it is now proposed to glance at certain other characteristics4 ,some springs are wonderful as to their origin4 ,who does not know the legend connected with ,tre ,fontane1 in the vicinity of ,rome1 where water bubbled up at the three places touched by ,st4 ,paul's severed head8 ,we do not recollect any ,scottish instance of a well coming into being in this way2 but in ,england we have ,st4 ,osyth's ,well in ,essex1 where that saint was beheaded by the ,danes1 and in ,wales1 ,st4 ,winifred's ,well in ,flintshire4 ,concerning the latter1 ,chambers1 in his ,book of ,days1 thus writes3--,winifred was a noble ,british maiden of the seventh century2 a certain ,prince ,cradocus fell in love with her1 and1 finding his rough advances repulsed1 cut off the lady's head4 ,immediately after doing this1 the prince was struck dead1 and the earth1 opening1 swallowed up his body4 ,meanwhile1 ,winifred's head rolled down the hill2 where it stopped1 a spring gushed forth--the blood from the head colouring the pebbles over which it flowed1 and rendering fragrant the moss growing around4 ,sweden has its ,st4 ,eric's ,spring at ,upsala1 marking the place where ,eric1 the king1 was beheaded about the middle of the twelfth century4 ,st4 ,oswald's ,well at ,winwick1 in ,lancashire1 is said to indicate the spot where that famous ,northumbrian king received his death-wound when fighting against ,penda1 the pagan ruler of ,mercia4 ,on a hill in ,hertfordshire1 a fountain arose to quench the thirst of ,alban1 ,england's proto-martyr1 who suffered there about #cjj ,a4,d4 ,according to a ,kincardineshire tradition1 a spring in ,dunnottar ,castle miraculously appeared for behoof of the ,covenanters1 who were confined there in #afhe4 ,in ,holywood parish1 ,dumfriesshire1 7so called from its oak forest1 sacred even in pre-,christian times71 a fountain sprang up at the intercession of ,vynning1 the patron of a well at ,kilwinning1 in ,ayrshire4 ,in ,scottish hagiology1 fountains usually gush forth to supply water for baptism4 ,in ,english legends they spring up as a tribute to spots where the corpses of saintly persons have rested4 ,thus1 water issued from the graves of ,ethelbert at ,marden1 in ,herefordshire1 and of ,withburga at ,east ,dereham1 in ,norfolk1 and also from that of ,frideswide at ,oxford4 ,st4 ,frideswide's ,fair at the last-mentioned place was a noted holiday in the middle ages4 ,it lasted a week1 and1 during its continuance1 the keys of the city were in the keeping of the prior1 having been handed over by the mayor1 who ceased for the time to be responsible for the peace of the burgh4 ,at ,trondhjem1 in ,norway1 a spring arose to mark the spot where ,king ,olaf was buried1 about the middle of the eleventh century4 ,cuthbert was greatly honoured by the gushing forth of springs1 both during his lifetime and after his death4 ,while at ,lindisfarne1 he was seized with a desire for still greater retirement1 and accordingly withdrew to ,farne ,island1 one of the ,fern group1 two miles distant from ,bamborough1 and six from ,lindisfarne4 ,this island was then haunted by evil spirits2 but these he drove away1 as ,guthlac did from the marshes of ,crowland1 in ,lincolnshire4 ,cuthbert set about building a cell in ,farne ,island1 and1 with the help of angels1 the work was satisfactorily completed4 ,unfortunately1 there was no fresh water to be had2 but the want was soon supplied4 ,in response to the saint's prayers1 a spring arose in the floor of his cell4 ,bede says1 ,this water1 by a most remarkable quality1 never overflowed its first limits1 so as to flood the floor1 nor yet ever failed1 however much of it might be taken out2 so that it never exceeded or fell short of the daily wants of him who used it for his sustenance4 ,the miracle did not end here4 ,when ,eistan of ,norway was ravaging the coast of ,northumberland in the twelfth century1 he landed on ,farne ,island and destroyed the property of the hermits1 whose retreat it then was4 ,the spring1 unwilling to give help to the robber bands1 dried up4 ,thirst1 accordingly1 compelled them to quit the island4 ,no sooner had they left than the spring reappeared and gladdened the spot once more4 ,after ,cuthbert's death1 his body was carried from place to place for safety4 ,in his ,history of ,st4 ,cuthbert1 ,archbishop ,eyre remarks1 ,there is a legendary tradition1 that when the bearers of ,st4 ,cuthbert's body journeyed northwards from ,yorkshire and came to ,butterby1 near ,croxdale1 they set down the coffin on the right bank before crossing the river1 and immediately a saline spring burst out upon the spot4 ,after fording the river they again rested the coffin1 and a spring of chalybeate water rose up where they had laid down the body4 ,a third time the weary travellers1 struggling up the rugged pass1 were compelled to lay their precious burden on the ground1 and a sweet stream of water gushed out of the rock to refresh them4 ,prior to this1 ,cuthbert's relics had rested a while at ,melrose4 ,tradition says that1 on resuming their wanderings1 they floated down the ,tweed in a stone coffin as far as ,tillmouth1 on the ,english ,border4 ,the fragments of a sarcophagus1 said to be the coffin in question1 are still to be seen there beside the ruins of ,st4 ,cuthbert's ,chapel4 ,this incident is thus referred to in ,marmion3-- ,seven years ,saint ,cuthbert's corpse they bore4 ,they rested them in fair ,melrose3 ,but though1 alive1 he loved it well1 ,not there his reliques might repose2 ,for1 wondrous tale to tell6 ,in his stone coffin forth he rides 7,a ponderous bark for river tides71 ,yet light as gossamer it glides1 ,downward to ,tillmouth cell4 ,a ,shropshire legend narrates that1 on one occasion1 ,milburga1 who is still remembered in the name of ,stoke ,st4 ,milborough1 was riding in all haste to escape from certain enemies4 ,she fell at length exhausted from her horse2 but1 at her command1 the animal struck a stone with his hoof1 and water gushed out for her refreshment4 ,in a neighbouring field some men were sowing grain1 and the saint prophesied that in the evening they would gather the ripe corn4 ,she instructed them to tell her enemies1 on their arrival1 that she had passed when the crop was being sown4 ,the miracle duly happened1 and ,milburga's foes were disconcerted in consequence4 ,shropshire and ,yorkshire have strange traditions about the sudden appearance of lakes1 sometimes overwhelming human dwellings4 ,in the latter case1 the tops of houses are said to be visible through the water4 ,additional picturesqueness is occasionally given1 by the introduction into the story of vanished bells1 sending forth from the depths their soft cadences4 ,at ,tunstall1 in ,norfolk1 a boggy piece of ground1 locally known as ,hell-,hole1 is marked by frequently rising bubbles4 ,the devil once carried off the bells of the church1 and1 when pursued1 plunged into the marsh4 ,the bubbles are due to the bells sinking lower and lower into the abyss4 ,such beliefs about lakes form an interesting supplement to ,scottish superstitions4 ,when ,henry ,,vi4 was in hiding in ,bolton ,hall1 in ,yorkshire1 he wished to have a bath in the hot summer weather4 ,his host1 anxious to supply what was lacking to the comfort of the royal fugitive1 used a hazel twig in his garden1 in the hope of discovering water4 ,the indications being favourable1 a well was dug1 and the king was enabled to cool himself to his heart's content4 ,the spring still bears the king's name4 ,michael ,scott1 who was born in ,fife in the thirteenth century1 and was regarded by his contemporaries as a dabbler in the black art1 had a pupil in the north of ,england who undertook a marvellous feat1 viz41 to bring the sea up the ,wansbeck river to ,morpeth4 ,certain incantations were gone through1 and the magician started from the coast1 followed by the tide4 ,all went well till within about five miles from the town1 when he became alarmed by the roaring of the water1 and looked back4 ,so the spell was broken1 and ,morpeth remained inland4 ,this recalls the story accounting for the introduction of a good water-supply into ,plymouth4 ,when there was a scarcity in the sixteenth century1 ,sir ,francis ,drake1 the naval hero1 rode up to ,dartmoor1 and uttered some magical words over a spring there4 ,he immediately turned his horse and galloped back to the town1 followed by a copious stream4 ,certain wells could put in a good claim to the title of wonderful on the ground of the effects they were able to produce4 ,if a spring could act as a sign-post to guide the wayfarer1 who had strayed from his path1 it might surely be classed among marvels6 ,this is what a certain well on ,dartmoor1 in ,devonshire1 could do1 at least in the sixteenth century4 ,a man of the name of ,fitz and his wife1 when crossing the moor in the year #aefh1 lost their way4 ,they lighted on the well in question1 drank its water1 and found the lost track without the least difficulty4 ,in gratitude1 ,fitz afterwards raised a memorial of stone over the well for the benefit of all pixy-led travellers4 ,in ,germany1 before a meal1 the ceremony of wishing one's friend a good appetite is still kept up4 ,such a salutation must have been unnecessary in the ,island of ,harris1 at least in ,martin's time1 for he tells us of a spring1 then lately discovered1 that could produce an appetite whenever wanted4 ,the natives1 he says1 find by experience that it is very effectual for restoring lost appetite2 all that drink of it become very soon hungry though they have eat plentifully but an hour before4 ,a small quantity of its water might with advantage be added to the contents of the loving cup at the ,lord ,mayor's banquets1 and on other festive occasions both in1 and out of the ,metropolis4 ,martin speaks of another marvel in ,harris4 ,a large cave in the face of a hill hath1 he says1 two wells in it1 one of which is excluded from dogs1 for they say that if a dog do but taste of the water1 the well presently dryeth up2 and for this reason1 all such as have occasion to lodge there take care to tie their dogs that they may not have access to the water4 ,the other well is called the ,dogs' ,well1 and is only drunk by them4 ,the student of folklore cannot fail to find ,martin a congenial companion1 as he records a variety of quaint ,hebridean customs that might have been passed over in silence by a more matter-of-fact writer4 ,when in the ,island of ,lewis1 he was told of a fountain at ,loch ,carloway that never whitened linen1 though the experiment had been often tried4 ,in connection with his visit to ,barray1 he says1 ,the natives told me there is a well in the village ,tangstill1 the water of which1 being boiled1 grows thick like puddle4 ,there is another well1 not far from ,tangstill1 which1 the inhabitants say1 in a fertile year1 throws up many grains of barley in ,july and ,august4 ,and they say that the well of ,kilbar throws up embryos of cockles1 but ,i could not discern any in the rivulet1 the air being at that time foggy4 ,this reminds one of the ,well in the ,wall in ,checkly parish1 ,staffordshire1 said to throw out small bones like those of chickens and sparrows all the year round except in the months of ,july and ,august4 ,toubir-ni-,lechkin1 in ,jura1 rising on a hill near ,tarbert1 was a noted fountain4 ,martin mentions that its water was counted lighter by one half than any other water in the island1 and that a great quantity of it might be drunk at one time without causing inconvenience4 ,he further says1 ,the river ,nissa receives all the water that issues from this well1 and this is the reason they give why salmons here are in goodness and taste far above those of any other river whatever4 ,the power of some wells over the lower animals was remarkable4 ,a spring at ,harpham1 in the ,east ,riding of ,yorkshire1 dedicated to ,st4 ,john of ,beverley1 was believed to subdue the fiercest animal4 ,a raging bull1 when brought to it1 became as gentle as a lamb4 ,a spring of this kind would indeed be a great boon in the country to timid1 town-bred tourists when crossing fields where there are cattle4 ,to the margin of such a spring they could retreat and there feel safe4 ,black ,mere1 at ,morridge1 near ,leek1 in ,staffordshire1 was credited with the power of frightening away animals4 ,cattle would not drink its water1 and birds would not fly over it4 ,a mermaid was believed to dwell in its depths4 ,a reminiscence of this belief is to be found in the name of ,the ,mermaid1 a wayside inn in the neighbourhood frequented by sportsmen4 ,some wells keep a sharp look-out on the use made of their water4 ,a certain spring at ,gilsland1 in ,cumberland1 wished to dispense its favours freely1 i4e41 without making the public pay for them4 ,the proprietor of the ground1 however1 resolved to turn1 what he counted1 an honest penny1 and built a house over the spring for the sale of the water4 ,the fountain1 much aggrieved at this1 forthwith dried up4 ,the house1 not being required1 was taken down1 and the benevolent water once more made its appearance4 ,intermittent springs have been observed from an early date1 and strange notions have been formed about them4 ,they are usually associated in their ebbing and flowing with some particular river4 ,in some instances such a connection can be only imaginary1 notably in the case of the ,keldgate ,springs at ,cottingham1 in ,yorkshire1 thought to be influenced by the river ,derwent twenty miles away4 ,an ebbing and flowing well at the foot of ,giggleswick ,scar1 near ,settle1 in the same county1 was represented by ,michael ,drayton under the poetic guise of a nymph flying from the pursuit of an unwelcome lover4 ,gough1 in his edition of ,camden's ,britannia1 of date #ahjf1 has the following about a spring near ,paisley3--,bishop ,gibson says that in the lands of ,newyards1 near ,paisley1 is a spring which ebbs and flows with the tide though far above any ground to which the tide comes4 ,mr4 ,crawford1 in his ',history of the ,shire of ,renfrew1' applies this to a spring in the lands of ,woodside1 which is three miles from the ,clyde1 and half-a-mile from ,paisley bridge1 and the ground much higher than the river4 ,the name of ,dozmare ,lake1 in ,cornwall1 signifies in ,cornish a drop of the sea1 the lake having been so called from a belief that it was tidal4 ,the absurdity of the belief is proved by the fact that the sheet of water is eight hundred and ninety feet above the sea4 ,the lake is said to be unfathomable1 and has for a haunting spirit a giant who is doomed to empty it by means of a limpet shell4 ,a singular superstition is1 or was till quite lately1 cherished in ,peeblesshire1 that ,powbate ,well1 close to ,eddlestone1 completely fills with its water the high hill on whose top it is situated4 ,chambers1 in his ,popular ,rhymes of ,scotland1 gives the following particulars about the spring3--,the mouth1 called ,powbate ,e'e1 is covered over by a grate to prevent the sheep from falling into it2 and it is supposed that1 if a willow wand is thrown in1 it will be found some time after1 peeled at the water-laugh1 a small lake at the base of the hill supposed to communicate with ,powbate4 ,of course the hill is expected to break some day like a bottle and do a great deal of mischief4 ,a prophecy1 said to be by ,thomas the ,rhymer1 and bearing evident marks of his style1 is cited to support the supposition3 ',powbate1 an ye break1 ,tak' the ,moorfoot in yere gate2 ,moorfoot and ,mauldslie1 ,huntlycote1 a' three1 ,five kirks and an ,abbacie6' ,in explanation of this prophecy ,chambers remarks3 ,moorfoot1 ,mauldslie1 and ,huntlycote are farm-towns in the immediate neighbourhood of the hill4 ,the kirks are understood to have been those of ,temple1 ,carrington1 ,borthwick1 ,cockpen1 and ,dalkeith2 and the abbacy was that of ,newbottle1 the destruction of which1 however1 has been anticipated by another enemy4 ,the ,scottish imagination1 in attributing wonderful properties to springs1 has not gone the length of ascribing to any the power possessed by ,st4 ,ludvan's ,well in ,cornwall4 ,this fountain has been already referred to as the giver of increased sight4 ,but it had the still more marvellous power of preventing any one baptised with its water from being hanged by a hempen rope4 ,nor have we heard of any spring north of the ,tweed that could be a match for another ,cornish well1 viz41 that of ,st4 ,keyne1 familiar to readers of ,southey4 ,whoever1 after marriage1 first drank of its water would be the ruler of the house4 ,on one occasion a bridegroom hurried to make sure of this right1 but was chagrined to find that he had been anticipated3 his bride had taken a bottleful of the water with her to church4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,witness ,,of ,,water4 ,recovery from ,illness--,hydromancy--,mirror--,juno's ,pool--,prediction and ,cure--,methods of ,augury--,portents of ,death--,water like ,blood--,springs and ,national ,annals--,heritable ,jurisdictions--,water and ,witchcraft--,devil's ,mark--,water ,ordeal--,abbey of ,scone--,elgin ,orderpot--,witch's ,stone--,repeal of ,penal ,statutes--,witchcraft in the ,north--,insanity--,wild ,murdoch4 ,am ,i likely to recover8 is a question on many a patient's lips4 ,ask your doctor2 and if the case looks serious1 ,have a consultation is the answer nowadays4 ,formerly1 the answer was ,go to a consecrated well1 or ,get some one else to go in your stead1 and you will get a reply4 ,there is no reason to believe that every sacred spring was credited with this power2 but many undoubtedly were4 ,hydromancy has been a favourite mode of divination4 ,the conscious water could predict the future1 and questions connected with health were laid before it for its decision4 ,the ,greeks dipped a mirror into a well1 and foretold health or sickness from the appearance of the watery lines on its surface4 ,a pool in ,laconia1 sacred to ,juno1 revealed approaching good or evil fortune respectively1 by the sinking or floating of wheaten cakes thrown into it1 and auguries were also drawn from the movements of stones when dropt into it4 ,springs1 therefore1 deserved the respect shown to them by the confiding public4 ,indeed they not only told of recovery2 they supplied the medicine required to ensure it1 and were thus doctors and druggists combined4 ,sometimes the omen was unpropitious4 ,in many cases the prophecy would work out its own fulfilment4 ,there was a well in the ,island of ,lewis that caused either instant death or recovery to the patient who tested its virtues3 but a speedy fulfilment like this was exceptional4 ,st4 ,andrew's ,well at ,shadar1 in ,lewis1 was much esteemed for its power of augury4 ,a tub1 containing some of its water1 was taken to the house of the patient1 and a small wooden dish was placed on the surface of the water4 ,if this dish turned sunways1 it showed that the patient would recover2 but if in an opposite direction1 that he would die4 ,in reference to this instance1 ,mr4 ,gomme1 in his ,ethnology in ,folklore1 observes1 ,i am inclined to connect this with the vessel or cauldron so frequently occurring in ,celtic tradition1 and which ,mr4 ,nutt has marked as 'a part of the gear of the oldest ,celtic divinities' perhaps of divinities older than the ,celts4 ,on one occasion two parishioners of ,fodderty1 in ,ross-shire1 consulted ,tobar-na-domhnuich in that parish in behalf of a sick friend4 ,when they placed their pitcher on the surface of the water1 the vessel moved round from south to west1 as in the last instance1 and they hastened back to their friend with the good news4 ,this was in the year #ahcb4 ,about the same time1 a woman brought her sick child to be bathed in the well1 but was surprised and not a little terrified to see a strange creature1 with glaring eyes1 leap into it as she approached4 ,love for her child made her brave4 ,overcoming her fear1 she dislodged the creature1 and bathed the little invalid4 ,in the end1 however1 she must have regarded the appearance of the creature as a bad omen1 for the child did not recover4 ,the usual way of consulting the spring in question was to draw water from it before sunrise1 and to convey the water to the invalid's house4 ,the patient was then immersed in it1 and if it remained clear the circumstance pointed to recovery2 but if it assumed a brownish colour1 the illness would end in death4 ,in former times a shirt was thrown into ,st4 ,oswald's ,well1 in ,yorkshire1 by way of augury4 ,the floating of the shirt foretold returning health4 ,the sinking foretold death4 ,when a portion of an invalid's clothing was flung into the ,dow ,loch1 in ,dumfriesshire1 the same rule held good4 ,as may be noticed1 the augury in these two cases was the reverse of that in the case of ,juno's pool above alluded to4 ,there were other ways in which wells acted the prophet4 ,if a certain worm in a spring on the top of a particular hill in ,strathdon was found alive1 the patient would recover4 ,a well at ,ardnacloich in ,appin contained a dead worm1 if the patient's illness would prove fatal2 but a living one1 if otherwise4 ,the ,virgin's ,well1 near the ancient church of ,kilmorie on the shores of ,loch ,ryan in ,wigtownshire1 had an ingenious way of predicting the future4 ,if the patient1 on whose account the water was sought1 would recover1 the fountain flowed freely2 but if the malady would end in death1 the water refused to gush forth4 ,montluck ,well1 in the grounds of ,logan in the same county1 got the credit of acting on a similar principle4 ,when speaking of this spring1 ,symson says1 it is in the midst of a little bog to which several persons have recourse to fetch water for such as are sick1 asserting 7whether it be truth or falsehood ,i shall not determine7 that if the sick person shall recover1 the water shall so bubble and mount up when the messenger dips in his vessel1 that he will hardly get out dry shod by reason of the overflowing of the well2 but if the sick person be not to recover1 there shall not be any such overflowing in the least4 ,we find a belief in the south-west of ,england corresponding to this in the south-west of ,scotland4 ,gulval ,well1 in ,fosses ,moor there1 was resorted to by persons anxious to know the fate of absent friends4 ,if the person inquired about was dead1 the water remained perfectly still2 if sick1 it bubbled1 though in a muddy fashion2 but if well1 it sent out a sparkling gush4 ,mr4 ,hunt mentions the case of a woman1 who1 with her babe in her arm1 consulted the spring about her absent husband1 under the guidance of an aged female who acted as the guardian of the well4 ,obeying the old woman's directions1 she knelt on the mat of bright green grass which grew around1 and1 leaning over the well so as to see her face in the water1 she repeated after her instructor3 ',water1 water1 tell me truly1 ,is the man ,i love truly ,on the earth1 or under the sod1 ,sick or well1--in the name of ,god8' ,some minutes passed in perfect silence1 and anxiety was rapidly turning cheeks and lips pale1 when the colour rapidly returned4 ,there was a gush of clear water from below1 bubble rapidly followed bubble sparkling brightly in the morning sunshine4 ,full of joy1 the young mother rose from her knees1 kissed her child1 and exclaimed1 ',i am happy now6' ,at ,barenton in ,brittany is a spring still believed in by the peasantry4 ,a pin is dropt into the well1 and if good fortune is in store1 the water sends up bubbles2 but if not1 it remains quite still4 ,the quantity of water in ,st4 ,maelrubha's ,well on ,innis-,maree varied from time to time4 ,when a patient was brought for treatment and there was a scanty supply1 the omen was considered unfavourable2 but when the water was abundant1 the saint was deemed propitious1 and the hope of recovery was consequently great4 ,the fly at ,st4 ,michael's ,well in ,banffshire was looked upon as a prophet4 ,in the ,old ,statistical ,account of ,scotland we read1 that1 if the sober matron wished to know the issue of her husband's ailment1 or the love-sick nymph that of her languishing swain1 they visited the ,well of ,st4 ,michael4 ,every movement of the sympathetic fly was regarded in silent awe2 and as he appeared cheerful or dejected1 the anxious votaries drew their presages4 ,at ,little ,conan in ,cornwall is a spring1 sacred to ,our ,lady of ,nants4 ,it was at one time resorted to on ,palm ,sunday by persons anxious to know whether they would outlive the year4 ,a cross1 made of palm1 was thrown into the water4 ,if it floated1 the thrower would survive the twelvemonth2 but if it sank1 he would die within that time4 ,maidens used to visit ,madron ,well in the same county on ,may morning to forecast their matrimonial fate4 ,they took two pieces of straw1 about an inch in length1 and placing them crosswise fastened them together with a pin4 ,the cross was then thrown into the spring4 ,the rising bubbles were carefully counted1 for they corresponded in number with the years that would elapse before the arrival of the wedding-day4 ,portents of death were sometimes furnished by lochs and springs4 ,at ,harpham in ,yorkshire there is a tradition that a drummer lad in the fourteenth century was accidentally drowned in a certain spring by a ,st4 ,quintin--,lord of the ,manor4 ,ever afterwards the sound of a drum was heard in the well on the evening before the death of one of the ,st4 ,quintin family4 ,camden1 in his ,britannia1 tells of a sheet of water in ,cheshire called ,blackmere ,lake1 lying in the district where the ,brereton family had lands1 and records the local belief that1 just before any heir of that house died1 trunks of trees were seen floating on its surface4 ,water occasionally gave warning by turning red like blood4 ,a certain fountain1 near the ,elbe1 in ,germany1 was at one time believed to do this1 in view of an approaching war4 ,st4 ,tredwell's ,loch1 in ,papa-,westray1 ,orkney1 has already been referred to1 in connection with its habit of turning red1 whenever anything remarkable was about to happen to a member of the ,royal ,family4 ,when the ,earl of ,derwentwater was beheaded1 in #agaf1 the news spread that the stream flowing past his estate of ,dilston ,hall in ,northumberland ran with blood4 ,the same was said of the river at ,bothel1 in the parish of ,topenhow1 in ,cumberland1 on the occasion of the execution of ,charles ,i41 in #afdi4 ,there was at one time a well in ,canterbury ,cathedral4 ,after the assassination of ,thomas ,becket the sweepings of his blood and brains from the floor were thrown into it1 and more than once afterwards the water turned red and effected various miraculous cures4 ,lady ,wilde1 in her ,ancient ,legends of ,ireland1 narrates how one of the holy wells of ,erin lost its efficacy for curing purposes through having been touched by a murderer4 ,the priest of the district took some of its water and breathed on it thrice in the name of the ,trinity1 when1 lo6 a mysterious change came over it1 and it appeared red like blood6 ,the murderer was captured and handed over to justice1 and the well once more began to work cures4 ,some springs seemed anxious to be behind the scenes 7though before the event7 in connection with various incidents in ,british annals4 ,a spring at ,warlingham1 in ,surrey1 rises before any great event in our country's history4 ,at any rate it did so before three great events in the seventeenth century1 viz41 the ,restoration1 the ,plague1 and the ,revolution4 ,the famous ,drumming ,well at ,oundle1 in ,northamptonshire1 was also specially active in the seventeenth century4 ,by making a sound like the beating of a drum1 it announced the approach of a ,scottish army1 and gave warning of the death of ,charles ,,ii4 ,in the same century a pool in ,north ,tawton parish1 ,devonshire1 even though dry in summer1 became full of water at the driest season before the death of a prince1 and remained so till the event happened4 ,two centuries earlier a certain well at ,langley ,park1 in ,kent1 had a singular way of foretelling the future4 ,in view of a battle it became dry1 though rain fell heavily4 ,if there was to be no fighting1 it appeared full of water1 even during the greatest drought4 ,a spring at ,kilbarry1 in the island of ,barra1 ,outer ,hebrides1 served the same purpose1 but its mode of augury was different4 ,in this case1 as ,dalyell records in his ,darker ,superstitions1 drops of blood appeared in prospect of war2 but little bits of peat1 if peace was to remain unbroken4 ,walcott mentions1 in his ,scoti-,monasticon1 that there was at ,kilwinning1 in ,ayrshire1 a sacred fountain which flowed in #aahd1 and at other times1 before a war or trouble1 with blood instead of water for eight successive days and nights4 ,when ,marvel-sike ,spring1 near ,brampton ,bridge1 in ,northamptonshire1 overflowed its customary limits1 people used to interpret its conduct as signifying approaching dearth1 the death of some great person1 or some national disturbance4 ,in these days1 when so keen an interest is taken in the proceedings of ,parliament1 it is a pity that there is no spring in our land capable of announcing the probable date of a dissolution4 ,such a spring would relieve the public mind from much uncertainty1 and would benefit the trade and commerce of the country4 ,heritable jurisdictions were abolished in ,scotland soon after the ,stuart rising of #agde4 ,this privilege1 enjoyed till then by many landowners north of the ,tweed1 was popularly known as the right of pit and gallows1 the pit being for the drowning of women and the gallows for the hanging of men4 ,in #afgi1 a certain woman1 ,janet ,grant by name1 was convicted of theft in the baronial court of ,sir ,robert ,gordon of ,gordonstone1 held at ,drainie1 in ,elginshire1 and was sentenced to be drowned in ,spynie ,loch4 ,in this and other similar cases water was used as a means of execution4 ,in the case of witchcraft it was called in as a witness in the trial4 ,the criminal proceedings for the detection and punishment of so-called witches form a painfully dark chapter in ,scottish history4 ,as ,mr4 ,w4 ,h4 ,davenport ,adams pointedly puts it1 in his ,witch1 ,warlock1 and ,magician1 ,the common people for a time might have been divided into two classes1 'witches and witchfinders4' ,the same writer observes1 ,among the people of ,scotland1 a more serious-minded and imaginative race than the ,english1 the superstition of witchcraft was deeply rooted at an early period4 ,its development was encouraged not only by the idiosyncracies of the national character1 but also by the nature of the country and the climate in which they lived4 ,the lofty mountains1 with their misty summits and shadowy ravines1 their deep obscure glens1 were the fitting homes of the wildest fancies1 the eeriest legends1 and the storm--crashing through the forests1 and the surf beating on the rocky shore1 suggested to the ear of the peasant or fisherman the voices of unseen creatures--of the dread spirits of the waters and the air4 ,a favourite method of discovering whether an accused person was guilty or not1 was that technically known as pricking4 ,it was confidently believed that every witch had the devil's mark somewhere on her person4 ,the existence of this mark could be determined3 for if a pin was thrust into the flesh with the result that neither blood came1 nor pain was felt1 the spot so punctured was the mark in question4 ,this showed1 without doubt1 that the accused was guilty of the heinous crime laid to her charge4 ,charles ,kirkpatrick ,sharpe1 in his ,history of ,witchcraft in ,scotland1 gives instances of the finding of the devil's mark4 ,he mentions the case of ,janet ,barker1 a servant in ,edinburgh1 who acknowledged that she possessed this particular mark between her shoulders4 ,a pin was stuck into the spot and remained there for an hour without her being aware of its presence4 ,such1 at least1 was the way of stating the case in #afdc4 ,with this simple test at command it is not easy to understand why water should have been required to give evidence4 ,but so it was4 ,among various nations the water-ordeal has been in fashion4 ,it was specially popular in ,scotland a couple of centuries ago4 ,part of the bay at ,st4 ,andrews is still styled the ,witches' ,lake1 recalling by its name the crude notions and cruel practices of our ancestors4 ,a pool in the ,carron1 near ,dunnottar ,church in ,kincardineshire1 at one time served a similar purpose4 ,as we have seen1 the sinking or the floating of an object thrown into water in cases of sickness told of death or recovery4 ,in like manner innocence or guilt could be determined in the case of persons accused of sorcery4 ,if the person sank1 she was innocent2 but guilty1 if she floated4 ,king ,james ,,vi4--a great authority on the subject--explains why this was so4 ,in his ,daemonologie1 he says1 ,as in a secret murther1 if the dead carcase be at any time thereafter handled by the murtherer1 it will gush out of blood1 as if the blood were raging to the ,heaven for revenge of the murtherer 7,god having appointed that secret supernatural sign for trial of that secret unnatural crime71 so that it appears that ,god hath appointed 7for a supernatural sign of the monstrous impiety of witches7 that the water shall refuse to receive them in her bosom that have shaken off them the sacred water of baptism and wilfully refused the benefit thereof4 ,the ,abbey of ,scone1 in ,perthshire1 founded by ,alexander ,i41 in #aaad1 received from him a charter confirming the right of using the water-ordeal for the detection of witchcraft4 ,the place of trial was a small island in the ,tay1 half-way between the abbey and the bridge of ,perth4 ,according to the practices1 common at such trials1 the accused was thrown into the water1 wrapped up in a sheet1 and having the thumbs and the great toes fastened together4 ,the chances of life were certainly not great under the circumstances1 for1 if the poor creature floated1 she had soon to exchange water for fire4 ,the stake was her goal4 ,if she sank1 the likelihood was that she would be drowned4 ,bundled up in the manner described1 she was scarcely in a position to rescue herself2 and the bystanders were in no humour to give a helping hand4 ,close to the town of ,elgin was once a witch-pool1 known as the ,order ,pot1 so called from its having been the place of ordeal4 ,through time it was filled up1 mainly with rubbish from the ruins of the cathedral1 in fulfilment1 it was believed1 of the prophecy of ,thomas the ,rhymer that ,the ,order ,pot and ,lossie grey ,shall sweep the ,chanonry kirk away4 ,in the seventeenth century a woman who was accused of having brought disease on a certain man through her sorceries was thrown into the pool4 ,she sank1 and the crowd1 who had collected to witness the trial1 exclaimed1 ,to ,satan's kingdom she hath gone4 ,the incident is of interest since the view of her case1 then taken1 was contrary to the one usually held1 as explained above4 ,perhaps the people standing by thought that the devil was so eager to get his own1 that he would not lose the chance of securing his victim at once4 ,elginshire has another memorial of the black art in the form of ,the ,witch's ,stone at ,forres4 ,it consists of a boulder about a yard in diameter and probably marks the spot where unhappy females convicted of witchcraft were executed4 ,about the year #agij some one wished to turn the stone to good account for building purposes and broke it into three pieces4 ,the breaker1 however1 was compelled to put it together again1 and the iron then used to clasp it is still in position4 ,legend accounts for the breakage in a less prosaic way4 ,when the boulder was being carried by a witch through the air in her apron1 the apron-string broke1 and1 as a result1 the stone was broken too4 ,the spot was formerly reckoned ill-omened4 ,it would be too much to say that belief in the black art has vanished from the ,highlands2 though1 fortunately for the good sense of our age1 as well as for those who live in it1 witch pools are not now in requisition4 ,pennant bears witness to the fact that belief in witchcraft ceased in ,perthshire soon after the repeal1 in #agcf1 of the penal statutes against witches4 ,in more northern districts it continued a vital part of the popular creed till much later4 ,the ,rev4 ,donald ,sage mentions1 in his ,memorabilia ,domestica1 that the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,fraser1 minister of ,killearnan in ,ross-shire1 about #agej1 was much troubled with somnolency even in the pulpit4 ,he was in consequence thought to be bewitched--a notion that he himself shared4 ,two women were fixed on1 as the cause of his unnatural slumbers4 ,it was believed that they had made a clay image representing the minister and had stuck pins into it4 ,certain pains felt by him were ascribed to this cause4 ,had it not been for the ,act of #agcf1 it would doubtless have fared ill with the supposed witches4 ,witches1 however1 were not alone in their power of floating4 ,according to a popular belief in the north-west ,highlands1 insane people cannot sink in water4 ,sir ,arthur ,mitchell1 in the ,proceedings of the ,society of ,antiquaries of ,scotland1 volume iv41 refers to the case of a certain madman--,wild ,murdoch by name--concerning whom strange stories were told4 ,he was born on the small island of ,melista1 near the coast of ,lewis1 used only for occasional habitation in connection with the pasturing of cattle4 ,anyone born in the island is believed to become insane4 ,the superstition about not sinking was certainly put to a severe test in ,wild ,murdoch's case4 ,it is said1 remarks ,sir ,arthur1 that his friends used to tie a rope round his body1 make it fast to the stern of the boat1 and then pull out to sea1 taking the wretched man in tow4 ,the story goes that he was so buoyant that he could not sink2 'that they tried to press him down into the water2' that he could swim with a stone fastened to him2 that when carried to the rocky holms of ,melista or ,greinan1 round which the open ,atlantic surges1 and left there alone1 he took to the water and swam ashore4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,water-,,spirits4 ,influence of ,scenery--,science and ,superstition--,loch-nan-,spoiradan --,lochan-nan-,deaan--,lochan-,wan and its ,sacrifice--,jenny ,greenteeth --,poetry and ,superstition--,tweed and ,till--,dee and ,don-- ,folk-practices for ,finding a ,drowned ,body--,deeside ,tradition-- ,salt used by ,tweed ,fishers for ,good ,luck--,guardian-,spirit of ,conan--,peg ,powler--,water-kelpies--,nikr--,halliwe ll ,boggle--,robin ,round ,cap--,round ,hole1 near ,flamborough--,aberdeenshire ,kelpy ,legends--,some ,sutherland ,kelpies--,story about an ,islay ,kelpy-- ,mermaids in the ,north4 ,one of the great charms of ,highland landscape is the gleam of still water that so often gives the element of repose in a scene of broken cliff and tumbled crag1 of noisy cascade and driving cloud4 ,no casual tourist can fail to notice what a wonderful variety of lakes he meets with in the course of any traverse he may take across the country4 ,among the higher mountains there is the little tarn nestling in a dark sunless corry1 and half-encircled with grim snow-rifted crags4 ,in the glen1 there is the occasional broadening of the river into a lake that narrows again to let the stream rush down a rocky ravine4 ,in the wider strath there is the broad still expanse of water1 with its fringe of wood and its tree-covered islets4 ,in the gneiss region of the ,north-,west1 there is the little lochan lying in its basin of bare rock and surrounded with scores of others all equally treeless and desolate4 ,so writes ,professor ,sir ,a4 ,geikie in his ,scenery of ,scotland4 ,his point of view is that of a scientific observer1 keenly alive to all the varied phenomena of nature4 ,but amid the scenes described lived men and women who looked at the outer world through the refracting medium of superstition4 ,they saw the landscape1 but they saw also what their own imagination supplied4 ,in ,strathspey1 is a sheet of water bearing the ,gaelic name of ,loch-nan-,spoiradan or the ,lake of ,spirits4 ,what shape these spirits assumed we do not know1 but there was no mistake about the form of the spirit who guarded ,lochan-nan-,deaan1 close to the old military road between ,corgarff and ,tomintoul4 ,the appearance of this spirit may be gathered from the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,gregor's remarks in an article on ,guardian ,spirits of ,wells and ,lochs in ,folklore for ,march1 #ahib4 ,after describing the loch1 he says1 ,it was believed to be bottomless1 and to be the abode of a water-spirit that delighted in human sacrifice4 ,notwithstanding this blood-thirsty spirit1 the men of ,strathdon and ,corgarff resolved to try to draw the water from the loch1 in hope of finding the remains of those that had perished in it4 ,on a fixed day a number of them met with spades and picks to cut a way for the outflow of the water through the road4 ,when all were ready to begin work1 a terrific yell came from the loch1 and there arose from its waters a diminutive creature in shape of a man with a red cap on his head4 ,the men fled in terror1 leaving their picks and spades behind them4 ,the spirit seized them and threw them into the loch4 ,then1 with a gesture of defiance at the fleeing men1 and a roar that shook the hills1 he plunged into the loch and disappeared amidst the water that boiled and heaved as red as blood4 ,near the boundary1 between the shires of ,aberdeen and ,banff1 is a small sheet of water called ,lochan-wan1 i4e41 ,lamb's ,loch4 ,the district around is now a deer forest1 but at one time it was used for grazing sheep4 ,the tenants around had the privilege of pasturing a certain number of sheep4 ,dr4 ,gregor says1 ,each one that sent sheep to this common had to offer in sacrifice1 to the spirit of the loch1 the first lamb of his flock dropped on the common4 ,the omission of this sacrifice brought disaster2 for unless the sacrifice was made1 half of his flock would be drowned before the end of the grazing season4 ,as in the case of ,lochan-nan-,deaan1 an attempt was made to break the spell by draining the loch1 but this attempt1 though less tragic in its result1 was equally unavailing4 ,on three successive days a channel was made for the outflow of the water1 but each night the work was undone4 ,a watch was set1 and at midnight of the third day hundreds of small black creatures were seen to rise from the lake1 each with a spade in his hand4 ,they set about filling up the trench and finished their work in a few minutes4 ,mr4 ,charles ,hardwick1 in ,traditions1 ,superstitions1 and ,folklore1 published in #ahgb1 tells of a folk-belief1 prevalent in the ,north of ,england1 particularly in ,lancashire4 ,i remember well1 he says1 when very young1 being cautioned against approaching to the side of stagnant pools of water partially covered with vegetation4 ,at the time1 ,i firmly believed that if ,i disobeyed this instruction a certain water 'boggart1' named ,jenny ,greenteeth1 would drag me beneath her verdant screen and subject me to other tortures besides death by drowning4 ,poetry and superstition regard external nature from the same standpoint1 in as much as both think of it as animate4 ,but there is a difference4 ,the one endows nature with human qualities1 and knows that it does so through the imagination2 the other does the same1 and believes that there is no imagination in the matter4 ,the work of the former is well expressed by ,dr4 ,e4 ,b4 ,tylor1 when he observes1 ,in all that water does1 the poet's fancy can discern its personality of life4 ,it gives fish to the fisher and crops to the husbandman1 it swells in fury and lays waste the land1 it grips the bather with chill and cramp and holds with inexorable grasp its drowning victim4 ,that rivers were monsters hungering1 or perhaps1 one should say1 thirsting1 for human victims is a fact borne witness to by poetry as well as by superstition4 ,an example of this occurs in the following popular rhyme connected with the ,scottish ,border3-- ,tweed said to ,till1 ',what gars ye rin sae still'8 ,till said to ,tweed1 ',though ye rin wi' speed1 ,an' ,i rin slaw1 ,yet whare ye droon ae man1 ,i droon twa4' ,some ,aberdeenshire lines have the same theme3-- ,bloodthirsty ,dee ,each year needs three2 ,but bonny ,don1 ,she needs none4 ,according to folklore1 there is no doubt that rivers are uncanny4 ,beneath their rippling surface dwells a being who keeps a lookout for the unwary traveller and seeks to draw him into the dark depths4 ,a belief in such a being is not always explicitly avowed4 ,but there are certain folk-practices undoubtedly implying it4 ,when anyone is drowned in a river1 the natural way to find the body is to drag the stream in the neighbourhood of the accident4 ,but superstition has recourse to another method4 ,a loaf of bread1 with or without quicksilver in it1 is placed on the surface of the water and allowed to drift with the current4 ,the place where the loaf becomes stationary marks the spot where the body lies concealed4 ,according to another method1 a boat is rowed up and down the stream1 and a drum is beat all the time4 ,when the boat passes over the resting place of the body the drum will cease to sound4 ,this was done in ,derbyshire no longer ago than #ahhb1 in order to find the corpse of a young woman who had fallen into the ,derwent4 ,in such practices there is a virtual recognition of a water-spirit who can1 by certain rites1 be compelled to give up his prey1 or at any rate to disclose the whereabouts of the victim4 ,a ,deeside tradition supplies a good illustration of this4 ,a man called ,farquharson-na-,cat1 i4e41 ,farquharson of the ,wand1 so named from his trade of basketmaking1 had on one occasion to cross the river just above the famous linn4 ,it was night4 ,he lost his footing1 was swept down into the linn1 and there drowned4 ,search was made for his body1 but in vain4 ,his wife1 taking her husband's plaid1 knelt down on the river's brink1 and prayed to the water-spirit to give her back her dead4 ,she then threw the plaid into the stream4 ,next morning her husband's corpse1 with the plaid wrapped round it1 was found lying on the edge of the pool4 ,till quite lately1 fishing on the ,tweed was believed to be influenced by the fairies of the river4 ,salt was thrown into the water1 and sprinkled on the nets to insure a plentiful catch of fish4 ,this was really the offering of a sacrifice to the river-spirits4 ,frequently the guardian of the flood appeared in distinctly human shape4 ,an excellent example of this is to be found in ,hugh ,miller's ,my ,schools and ,schoolmasters1 where a picturesque description is given of the spirit haunting the ,conan4 ,hugh ,miller was an expert swimmer1 and delighted to bathe in the pools of that ,ross-shire stream4 ,its goblin or water-wraith1 he tells us1 used to appear as a tall woman dressed in green1 but distinguished chiefly by her withered1 meagre countenance1 ever distorted by a malignant scowl4 ,i knew all the various fords1 always dangerous ones1 where of old she used to start1 it was said1 out of the river before the terrified traveller to point at him as in derision with her skinny finger1 or to beckon him invitingly on2 and ,i was shown the very tree to which a poor ,highlander had clung when1 in crossing the river by night1 he was seized by the goblin1 and from which1 despite of his utmost exertions1 though assisted by a young lad1 his companion1 he was dragged into the middle of the current1 where he perished4 ,and when in swimming at sunset over some dark pool1 where the eye failed to mark1 or the foot to sound1 the distant bottom1 the twig of some sunken bush or tree has struck against me as ,i passed1 ,i have felt1 with sudden start1 as if touched by the cold1 bloodless fingers of the goblin4 ,at ,pierse ,bridge1 in ,durham1 the water-spirit of the ,tees went by the name of ,peg ,powler1 and there were stories in the district1 of naughty children having been dragged by her into the river4 ,in the ,highlands and ,lowlands alike1 the spirit inhabiting rivers and lakes was commonly known as the water-kelpy4 ,a south country ballad says3-- ,the side was steep1 the bottom deep ,frae bank to bank the water pouring2 ,and the bonnie lass did quake for fear1 ,she heard the water-kelpie roaring4 ,who does not remember ,burns's lines in his ,address to the ,deil8-- ,when thowes dissolve the snawy hoord1 ,an' float the jinglin' icy-boord1 ,then water-kelpies haunt the foord ,by your direction2 ,an' 'nighted travellers are allur'd ,to their destruction4 ,an' aft your moss-traversin' spunkies ,decoy the wight that late and drunk is3 ,the bleezin'1 curst1 mischievous monkeys ,delude his eyes4 ,till in some miry slough he sunk is1 ,ne'er mair to rise4 ,the kelpy corresponded in attributes with the ,icelandic ,nikr2 whence has come our term ,old ,nick1 popularly applied to the devil4 ,a well-known picture by ,sir ,noel ,paton has familiarised the story of ,nickar1 the soulless1 who is there represented as a creature with frog-like feet1 but with a certain human look about him1 crouching among sedge by the side of water1 and playing his ghittern--an instrument resembling a guitar4 ,he appears1 however1 more melancholy and less mischievous than the other members of his fraternity4 ,a kelpy that idled away his time with music and made no attempt to drown anybody1 was quite an exceptional being4 ,in ,sweden1 where ,nikr was regarded with awe1 ferry-men at specially dangerous parts of rivers warned those who were crossing in their boat not even to mention his name1 lest some mishap should follow4 ,in his ,saxons in ,england1 ,mr4 ,j4 ,m4 ,kemble thus refers to other manifestations of the same creature3--,the beautiful ,nix or ,nixie who allures the young fisher or hunter to seek her embraces in the wave which brings his death2 the ,neck who seizes upon and drowns the maidens who sport upon his banks2 the river-spirit who still yearly1 in some parts of ,germany1 demands tribute of human life1 are all forms of the ancient ,nicor4 ,the same writer continues3--,more pleasing is the ,swedish ,stromkarl1 who1 from the jewelled bed of his river1 watches with delight the children gambol in the adjoining meadows1 and singing sweetly to them in the evening1 detaches from his hoary hair the sweet blossoms of the water-lily1 which he wafts over the surface to their hands4 ,in his ,folklore of ,east ,yorkshire1 ,mr4 ,j4 ,b4 ,nicholson alludes to a haunted pool between ,bewholme and ,atwick1 at the foot of the hill on which ,atwick ,church stands4 ,this pool is shaded by willows1 and is believed to be haunted by a spirit known in the district as the ,halliwell ,boggle4 ,in connection with ,robin ,round ,cap ,well1 in the same district1 ,mr4 ,nicholson tells a story--found also in the south of ,scotland--of a certain house-spirit or brownie1 who proved so troublesome to the farmer whom he served that his master resolved to remove to other quarters4 ,the furniture was accordingly put in carts and a start was made for the new home4 ,on the way1 a friend accosted the farmer and asked if he was flitting4 ,before he could reply1 a voice came from the churn--,ay1 we're flitting6 and1 behold1 there sat ,robin ,round ,cap4 ,the farmer1 seeing that he could not thus rid himself of the spirit1 returned to his old home2 but1 afterwards1 he succeeded in charming the brownie into a well1 where he still remains4 ,the same writer relates a superstition about a certain round hole near ,flamborough where a girl once committed suicide4 ,it is believed1 he says1 that anyone bold enough to run nine times round this place will see ,jenny's spirit come out1 dressed in white2 but no one has yet been bold enough to venture more than eight times1 for then ,jenny's spirit called out3-- ',ah'll tee on my bonnet ,an' put on me shoe1 ,an' if thoo's nut off ,ah'll seean catch thoo6' ,a farmer1 some years ago1 galloped round it on horseback1 and ,jenny did come out1 to the great terror of the farmer1 who put spurs to his horse and galloped off as fast as he could1 the spirit after him4 ,just on entering the village1 the spirit1 for some reason unknown1 declined to proceed further1 but bit a piece clean out of the horse's flank1 and the old mare had a white patch there to her dying day4 ,in the ,folklore ,journal for #ahhi1 ,dr4 ,gregor relates some kelpy legends collected by him in ,aberdeenshire4 ,on one occasion a man had to cross the ,don by the bridge of ,luib1 ,corgarff1 to get to his wife who was then very ill4 ,when he reached the river1 he found that the bridge--a wooden one--had been swept away by a flood4 ,he despaired of reaching the other bank1 when a tall man suddenly appeared and offered to carry him across4 ,the man was at first doubtful1 but ere long accepted the proffered help4 ,when they reached the middle of the river1 the kelpy1 who had hitherto shown himself so obliging1 sought to plunge his burden beneath the water4 ,a struggle ensued4 ,the man finally found a foothold1 and1 disengaging himself from the kelpy1 scrambled in all haste up the bank4 ,his would-be destroyer1 disappointed of his victim1 hurled a boulder after him4 ,this boulder came to be known as the ,kelpy's ,stane4 ,passers-by threw a stone beside it till eventually a heap was formed1 locally styled the ,kelpy's ,cairn4 ,a ,braemar kelpy stole a sackful of meal from a mill to give it to a woman for whom he had taken a fancy4 ,as the thief was disappearing1 the miller caught sight of him and threw a fairy-whorl at his retreating figure4 ,the whorl broke his leg1 and the kelpy fell into the mill-race and was drowned4 ,such was the fate of the last kelpy seen in ,braemar4 ,sutherland1 too1 abounded in water-spirits4 ,they used to cross the mouth of the ,dornoch ,firth in cockle-shells1 but1 getting tired of this mode of transit1 they resolved to build a bridge4 ,it was a magnificent structure1 the piers being headed with pure gold4 ,a countryman1 happening to pass1 saw the bridge1 and invoked a blessing on the workmen and their work4 ,immediately1 the workmen vanished1 and their work sank beneath the waves4 ,where it spanned the ,firth there is now a sandbar dangerous to mariners4 ,miss ,dempster1 who recounts this legend in the ,folklore ,journal for #ahhh1 supplies further information about the superstition of the district4 ,a banshee1 adorned with gold ornaments and wearing a silk dress1 was seen hurrying down a hill near the river ,shin1 and finally plunging into one of its deep pools4 ,these banshees were commonly web-footed1 and seemed addicted to finery1 if we may judge from the instance just given1 and from another mentioned by ,mr4 ,campbell in his ,tales of the ,west ,highlands4 ,he there speaks of one who frequented a stream about four miles from ,skibo ,castle in ,dornoch parish4 ,the miller's wife saw her4 ,she was sitting on a stone1 quiet1 and beautifully dressed in a green silk dress1 the sleeves of which were curiously puffed from the wrists to the shoulder4 ,her long hair was yellow like ripe corn1 but on nearer view she had no nose4 ,miss ,dempster narrates the following incident connected with the water-spirit haunting another ,sutherland river3--,one1 ,william ,munro1 and the grandfather of the person from whom we have this story1 were one night leading half-a-dozen pack-horses across a ford in the ,oikel1 on their way to a mill4 ,when they neared the river bank a horrid scream from the water struck their ears4 ',it is the ,vaicgh1' cried the lad1 who was leading the first horse1 and1 picking up some stones1 he sent a shower of them into the deep pool at his feet4 ,she must have been repeatedly hit1 as she emitted a series of the most piercing shrieks4 ',i am afraid1' said ,monro1 'that you have not done that right1 and that she will play us an ugly trick at the ford4' ',never mind1 we will take more stones1' he answered1 arming himself with a few4 ,but the kelpy had had enough of stones for one night4 ,off the ,rhinns of ,islay is a small island formerly used for grazing cattle4 ,a strong tide sweeps past the island1 making the crossing of the ,sound dangerous4 ,a story1 related by ,mr4 ,campbell1 tells that on a certain boisterous night a woman was left in charge of a large herd of cattle on the island4 ,she was sitting in her cabin1 when all at once she heard strange noises outside1 and1 looking up1 saw a pair of large eyes gazing in at her through the window4 ,the door opened1 and a strange creature strode in4 ,he was tall and hairy1 with a livid covering on his face instead of skin4 ,he advanced towards the woman and asked her name4 ,she replied in ,gaelic1 ,mise mi ,fhin--,me myself4 ,he then seized her4 ,in her terror she threw a ladleful of boiling water on the intruder4 ,yelling with pain he bounded out of the hut4 ,these unearthly voices asked what was the matter1 and who had hurt him8 ,mise mi ,fhin--,me myself1 replied the creature4 ,the answer was received with a shout of laughter from his mysterious companions4 ,the woman rushed out of the hut1 and dislodging one of the cows lay down on the spot1 at the same time making a magical circle round her on the ground4 ,all night she heard terrible sounds mingling with the roaring of the wind4 ,in the morning the supernatural manifestations disappeared1 and she felt herself safe4 ,it had not fared1 however1 so well with the cow1 for1 when found1 it was dead4 ,in ,chapter ,i4 reference was made to mermen and mermaids1 and little requires to be added in the present connection4 ,in the south of ,scotland the very names of these sea-spirits have a far-off sound about them4 ,no one beside the ,firths of ,forth and ,clyde expects nowadays to catch sight of such strange forms sitting on rocks1 or playing among the breakers2 but among our ,northern ,isles it is otherwise4 ,every now and again 7at long intervals1 perhaps7 the mysterious mermaid makes her appearance1 and gives new life to an old superstition4 ,about three years since1 one was seen at ,deerness in ,orkney4 ,she reappeared last year1 and was then noticed by some lobstermen who were working their creels4 ,she had a small black head1 white body1 and long arms4 ,somewhat later1 a creature1 believed to be this mermaid1 was shot not far from the shore1 but the body was not captured4 ,in ,june of the present year another mermaid was seen by the ,deerness people4 ,at ,birsay1 recently1 a farmer's wife was down at the sea-shore1 and observed a strange creature among the rocks4 ,she went back for her husband1 and the two returned quite in time to get a good view of the interesting stranger4 ,the woman spoke of the mermaid as a good-looking person2 while her husband described her as having a covering of brown hair4 ,curiosity seems to have been uppermost in the minds of the couple1 for they tried to capture the creature4 ,in the interests of folklore1 if not of science1 she managed to escape1 and was quickly lost to sight beneath the waves4 ,perhaps1 as the gurgling waters closed over her1 she may have uttered an au revoir1 or whatever corresponds to that phrase in the language of the sea4 ,the following story about a mermaid1 told by ,mr4 ,j4 ,h4 ,dixon in his ,gairloch1 published in #ahhf1 is fully credited in the district where the incident occurred3--,roderick ,mackenzie1 the elderly and much respected boat-builder at ,port ,henderson1 when a young man1 went one day to a rocky part of the shore there4 ,whilst gathering bait he suddenly spied a mermaid asleep among the rocks4 ,rorie 'went for' that mermaid1 and succeeded in seizing her by the hair4 ,the poor creature in great embarrassment cried out that if ,rorie would let go she would grant him whatever boon he might ask4 ,he requested a pledge that no one should ever be drowned from any boat he might build4 ,on his releasing her the mermaid promised that this should be so4 ,the promise has been kept throughout ,rorie's long business career--his boats still defy the stormy winds and waves4 ,mr4 ,dixon adds1 ,i am the happy possessor of an admirable example of ,rorie's craft4 ,the most ingenious framer of trade advertisements might well take a hint from this veracious anecdote4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,more ,,water-,,spirits4 ,water-horses and ,water-bulls--,highland ,superstition--,spiritual ,water-demon and ,material ,water-monster--,water-bulls of ,loch ,llundavr and ,loch ,achtriachtan--,water-horses of ,loch ,treig--,kelpy of ,loch ,ness--,water-horse ,bridles--,pontage ,pool--,kelpy's ,footprint--,mac,culloch and ,sir ,walter ,scott--,recent ,example of ,belief in ,water-monster--,tarroo-,ushtey in the ,isle of ,man--,other ,water-spirits--,dragon--,black-dog--,fl y--,fish--,de mons--,origin of ,well-worship4 ,so far we have been dealing with water-spirits more or less human in form4 ,another class consists of those with the shape and attributes of horses and bulls4 ,the members of this class are connected specially with ,highland districts4 ,lonely lochs were their favourite haunts4 ,in treeless regions1 a belief in such creatures would naturally arise4 ,any ordinary animal in such an environment would appear of a larger size than usual1 and the eye of the beholder would transmit the error to his imagination1 thereby still further magnifying the creature's bulk4 ,in some instances1 the notion might arise even when there was no animal on the scene4 ,a piece of rock1 or some other physical feature of the landscape would be enough to excite superstitious fancies4 ,mr4 ,campbell remarks1 ,in ,sutherland and elsewhere1 many believe that they have seen these fancied animals4 ,i have been told of ,english sportsmen who went in pursuit of them1 so circumstantial were the accounts of those who believed they had seen them4 ,the witnesses are so numerous1 and their testimony agrees so well1 that there must be some old deeply-rooted ,celtic belief which clothes every object with the dreaded form of the ,each ,uisge1 i4e41 ,water-horse4 ,when waves appeared on a lake1 and there seemed no wind to account for them1 superstitious people readily grasped at the idea that the phenomenon was due to the action of some mysterious water-spirit4 ,as ,dr4 ,tylor points out1 there seems to have been a confusion between the 'spiritual water-demon' and the 'material water-monster4' ,any creature found in or near the water would naturally be reckoned its guardian spirit4 ,the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,stewart gives the following particulars about water-horses and water-bulls in his ',twixt ,ben ,nevis and ,glencoe4 ,they are thought of as1 upon the whole1 of the same shape and form as the more kindly quadrupeds after whom they have been named1 but larger1 fiercer1 and with an amount of 'devilment' and cunning about them1 of which the latter1 fortunately1 manifest no trace4 ,they are always fat and sleek1 and so full of strength and spirit and life that the neighing of the one and the bellowing of the other frequently awake the mountain echoes to their inmost recesses for miles and miles around4444 ,calves and foals are the result of occasional intercourse between these animals and their more civilised domestic congeners1 such calves bearing unmistakable proofs of their mixed descent in the unusual size and pendulousness of their ears and the wide aquatic spread of their jet black hoofs2 the foals1 in their clean limbs1 large flashing eyes1 red distended nostrils1 and fiery spirit4 ,the initiated still pretend to point out cattle with more or less of this questionable blood in them1 in almost every drove of pure ,highland cows and heifers you like to bring under their notice4 ,the lochs of ,llundavr and ,achtriachtan1 in ,glencoe1 were at one time famous for their water-bulls2 and ,loch ,treig for its water-horses1 believed to be the fiercest specimens of that breed in the world4 ,if anyone suggested to a ,lochaber or ,rannoch ,highlander that the cleverest horse-tamer could clap a saddle on one of the demon-steeds of ,loch ,treig1 as he issues in the grey dawn1 snorting1 from his crystal-paved sub-lacustral stalls1 he would answer1 with a look of mingled horror and awe1 ',impossible6' ,the water-horse would tear him into a thousand pieces with his teeth and trample and pound him into pulp with his jet-black1 iron-hard1 though unshod hoofs6 ,a noted demon-steed once inhabited ,loch ,ness1 and was a cause of terror to the inhabitants of the neighbourhood4 ,like other kelpies1 he was in the habit of browsing along the roadside1 all bridled and saddled1 as if waiting for some one to mount him4 ,when any unwary traveller did so1 the kelpy took to his heels1 and presently plunged into deep water with his victim on his back4 ,mr4 ,w4 ,g4 ,stewart1 in his ,highland ,superstitions and ,amusements1 tells a story to show that the kelpy in question did not always have things his own way4 ,a ,highlander of the name of ,mac,grigor resolved to throw himself in the way of the water-horse in the hope of getting the better of him4 ,the meeting took place in the solitary pass of ,slochd-,muichd1 between ,strathspey and ,inverness4 ,the kelpy looked as innocent as usual1 and was considerably startled when ,mac,grigor1 sword in hand1 struck him a blow on the nose4 ,the weapon cut through the bridle1 and the bit1 falling to the ground1 was instantly picked up by ,mac,grigor4 ,this was the turning point of the encounter4 ,the kelpy was powerless without his bit1 and requested to have it restored4 ,though a horse1 the kelpy had the power of human speech1 and conversed1 doubtless in excellent ,gaelic1 with his victor1 using various arguments to bring about the restoration of his lost property4 ,finding that these were unavailing1 he prophesied that ,mac,grigor would never enter his house with the bit in his possession1 and when they arrived at the door he planted himself in front of it to block the entrance4 ,the ,highlander1 however1 outwitted the kelpy1 for1 going round to the back of his house1 he called his wife and flung the bit to her through a window4 ,returning to the kelpy1 he told him where the bit was1 and assured him that he would never get it back again4 ,as there was a rowan cross above the door the demon-steed could not enter the house1 and presently departed uttering certain exclamations not intended for benedictions4 ,those who doubt the truthfulness of the narrative may have their doubts lessened when they learn that this was not the only case of a water-horse's bit becoming the property of a human being4 ,the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,stewart narrates an anecdote bearing on this4 ,a drover1 whose home was in ,nether ,lochaber1 was returning from a market at ,pitlochry by way of the ,moor of ,rannoch4 ,night came on2 but1 as the moon was bright1 he continued his journey without difficulty4 ,on reaching ,lochanna ,cuile1 he sat down to refresh himself with bread1 cheese1 and milk4 ,while partaking of this temperate repast he caught sight of something glittering on the ground1 and1 picking it up1 he found it to be a horse's bridle4 ,next morning he was astonished to find that the bit and buckles were of pure silver and the reins of soft and beautifully speckled leather4 ,he was still more surprised to find that the bit when touched was unbearably hot4 ,a wise woman from a neighbouring glen was called in to solve the mystery4 ,she at once recognised the article to be a water-horse's bridle1 and accounted for the high temperature of the bit on the ground that the silver still retained the heat that it possessed when in a molten state below ground4 ,the reins1 she said1 were made of the skin of a certain poisonous serpent that inhabited pools frequented by water-horses4 ,according to her directions1 the bridle was hung on a cromag or crook of rowan wood4 ,its presence brought a blessing to the house1 and the drover prospered in all his undertakings4 ,when he died1 having no children of his own1 he bequeathed the magical bridle to his grandnephew1 who prospered in his turn4 ,a pool in the ,north ,esk1 in ,forfarshire1 called the ,ponage or ,pontage ,pool1 was at one time the home of a water-horse4 ,this creature was captured by means of a magical bridle1 and kept in captivity for some time4 ,while a prisoner he was employed to carry stones to ,morphie1 where a castle was then being built4 ,one day the bridle was incautiously removed1 and the creature vanished1 but not before he exclaimed-- ,sair back an' sair banes1 ,carryin' the ,laird o' ,morphie's stanes2 ,the ,laird o' ,morphie canna thrive ,as lang's the kelpy is alive4 ,his attempted verse-making seems to have gratified the kelpy1 for when he afterwards showed himself in the pool he was frequently heard repeating the rhyme4 ,the fate of the castle was disastrous4 ,at a later date it was entirely demolished1 and its site now alone remains4 ,some six miles from the ,kirkton of ,glenelg1 in ,inverness-shire1 is the small sheet of water known in the district as ,john ,mac,innes' ,loch4 ,it was so called from a crofter of that name who was drowned there4 ,the circumstances are thus narrated by ,mr4 ,j4 ,calder ,ross in ,scottish ,notes and ,queries for ,february1 #ahic3 ,john ,mac,innes found the labour of his farm sadly burdensome4 ,in the midst of his sighing an unknown being appeared to him and promised a horse to him under certain conditions4 ,these conditions ,john undertook to fulfil4 ,one day1 accordingly1 he found a fine horse grazing in one of his fields4 ,he happened to be ploughing at the time1 and at once he yoked the animal to the plough along with another horse4 ,the stranger worked splendidly1 and he determined to keep it1 though he well knew that it was far from canny4 ,every night when he stabled it he spread some earth from a mole's hill over it as a charm2 according to another version he merely blessed the animal4 ,one night he forgot his usual precautions3 perhaps he was beginning to feel safe4 ,the horse noticed the omission1 and seizing poor ,john in his teeth1 galloped off with him4 ,the two disappeared in the loch4 ,water-horses were not always malignant in disposition4 ,on one occasion an ,aberdeenshire farmer went with his own horse to a mill to fetch home some sacks of meal4 ,he left the horse at the door of the mill and went in to bring out the sacks4 ,the beast1 finding itself free1 started for home4 ,when the farmer reappeared and found the creature gone he was much disconcerted1 and uttered the wish that he might get any kind of horse to carry his sacks even though it were a water-kelpy4 ,to his surprise1 a water-horse immediately appeared6 ,it quietly allowed itself to be loaded with the meal1 and accompanied the farmer to his home4 ,on reaching the house he tied the horse to an old harrow till he should get the sacks taken into the house4 ,when he returned to stable the animal that had done him the good turn1 horse and harrow were away1 and he heard the beast plunging not far off in a deep pool in the ,don4 ,if anyone refuses to believe in the existence of water-horses1 let him go to the parish of ,fearn1 in ,forfarshire1 and there1 near the ruined castle of ,vayne1 he will see on a sandstone rock the print of a kelpy's foot4 ,noran ,water flows below the castle1 and the mysterious creature had doubtless its home in one of its pools4 ,in ,shetland1 such kelpies were known as ,nuggles1 and showed themselves under the form of ,shetland ponies4 ,mac,culloch1 the author of ,a ,description of the ,western ,islands of ,scotland1 found the belief in the water-bull a living faith among the people1 notably among the dwellers beside ,loch ,rannoch and ,loch ,awe4 ,he tells of a farmer who employed his sons to search a certain stream for one of these creatures1 while the farmer himself carried a gun loaded with sixpences to be discharged when the monster appeared1 silver alone having any effect on such beasts4 ,the same writer1 when speaking of the grandeur of the scenery about ,loch ,coruisk1 remarks3--,it is not surprising that ,coruisk should be considered by the natives as the haunt of the water-goblin or of spirits still more dreadful4 ,a seaman1 and a bold one1 whom1 on one occasion1 ,i had left in charge of the boat1 became so much terrified at finding himself alone that he ran off to join his comrades1 leaving it moored to the rock1 though in danger of being destroyed by the surge4 ,i afterwards overheard much discussion on the courage of the ,southron in making the circuit of the valley unattended4 ,not returning till it was nearly dark1 it was concluded that he had fallen into the fangs of the kelpy4 ,mac,culloch's ,description consists of a series of letters to ,sir ,walter ,scott4 ,sir ,walter himself has an interesting reference to the same superstition in his ,journal1 under date ,november #bcrd1 #ahbg4 ,after enumerating the company at a certain dinner party at which he had been present1 he continues3 ,clanronald told us1 as an instance of ,highland credulity1 that a set of his kinsmen--,borradale and others--believing that the fabulous 'water-cow' inhabited a small lake near his house1 resolved to drag the monster into day4 ,with this view they bivouacked by the side of the lake in which they placed1 by way of night-bait1 two small anchors such as belong to boats1 each baited with the carcase of a dog slain for the purpose4 ,they expected the 'water-cow' would gorge on this bait1 and were prepared to drag her ashore the next morning1 when1 to their confusion of face1 the baits were found untouched4 ,it is something too late in the day for setting baits for water-cows4 ,if such conduct seemed wonderful in #ahbg1 what would the author of ,waverley have thought had he known that more than half-a-century later1 people in the ,highlands retained a thorough-going belief in such monsters8 ,no longer ago than #ahhd rumours were current in ,ross-shire that a water-cow was seen in or near a loch on the ,greenstone ,point1 in ,gairloch parish4 ,mr4 ,j4 ,h4 ,dixon1 in his ,gairloch1 states that about #ahdj a water-cow was believed to inhabit ,loch-na-,beiste1 in the same parish1 and that a serious attempt was then made to destroy the creature4 ,the proprietor tried to drain the loch1 which1 except at one point1 is little more than a fathom in depth2 but when his efforts failed he threw a quantity of quicklime into the water to poison the monster4 ,it is reasonable to hold that the trout were the only sufferers4 ,the creature in question was described by two men who saw it as in appearance like a good sized boat with the keel turned up4 ,belief in the existence of water-cows prevailed in the south as well as in the north of ,scotland4 ,in the ,yarrow district there was one inhabiting ,st4 ,mary's ,loch4 ,concerning this water-cow1 ,hogg1 the ,ettrick ,shepherd1 writes3 ,a farmer in ,bowerhope once got a breed of her1 which he kept for many years until they multiplied exceedingly2 and he never had any cattle throve so well1 until once1 on some outrage or disrespect on the farmer's part towards them1 the old dam came out of the lake one pleasant ,march evening and gave such a roar that all the surrounding hills shook again1 upon which her progeny1 nineteen in number1 followed her all quietly into the loch1 and were never more seen4 ,in the ,isle of ,man the water-bull was1 and perhaps still is believed in by the peasantry4 ,it is called in ,manx1 tarroo-ushtey4 ,there is much force in ,mr4 ,campbell's conclusion that the old ,celts reverenced a destroying water-god1 to whom the horse was sacred1 or who assumed the form of a horse4 ,a similar notion may have originated the belief in the water-bull4 ,other creatures1 besides those already mentioned1 acted in the capacity of water spirits4 ,in ,strathmartin1 in ,forfarshire1 is a spring styled the ,nine ,maidens' ,well4 ,these maidens were the daughters of a certain ,donewalde or ,donald in the eighth century1 and led1 along with their father1 a saintly life in the glen of ,ogilvy in the same county4 ,their spring at ,strathmartin must have been well looked after1 for it had as its guardian1 no less formidable a creature than a dragon4 ,we do not know whether there was any ,st4 ,george in the vicinity to dispute possession with the monster4 ,in ,kildonan parish1 ,sutherland1 a stagnant pool of water1 some ten yards long by three broad1 was regarded by the inhabitants with superstitious dread4 ,according to tradition1 a pot of gold lay hidden below2 but no one could reach the treasure as it was guarded by a large black dog with two heads4 ,the ,rev4 ,donald ,sage1 when noticing this superstition in his ,memorabilia ,domestica1 remarks1 ,it is said that a tenant once had attempted to drain the loch and had succeeded1 so that the water was all carried off4 ,the only remuneration the unfortunate agriculturist received was to be aroused from his midnight slumbers by a visit from the black dog1 which set up such a hideous howl as made the hills reverberate and the poor man almost die with fright4 ,furthermore1 with this diabolical music1 he was regularly serenaded at the midnight hour till he had filled up the drain1 and the loch had resumed its former dimensions4 ,we do not know whether any later attempt was made to abolish the stagnant pool2 but at any rate a dread of the black dog kept it from being again drained till well on in the present century4 ,sutherland1 however1 cannot claim a monopoly in the matter of a guardian spirit in the shape of a dog4 ,concerning ,hound's ,pool in ,dean ,combe parish1 ,devon1 the tradition is that it is haunted by a hound doomed to keep guard till the pool can be emptied by a nutshell with a hole in it4 ,readers of ,peveril of the ,peak can hardly fail to remember the ,moddey ,dhoo--the black demon-dog--that roamed through ,peel ,castle1 in the ,isle of ,man4 ,st4 ,michael's ,well in ,kirkmichael parish1 ,banffshire1 had for its guardian spirit a much smaller animal than any of the above4 ,it showed itself in the form of a fly that kept skimming over the surface of the water4 ,this fly was believed to be immortal4 ,towards the end of last century the spring lost its reputation for its cures1 and the guardian spirit shared in its neglect4 ,the writer of the article on the parish1 in the ,old ,statistical ,account of ,scotland1 mentions having met an old man who greatly deplored the degeneracy of the times4 ,a glowing picture is given of this old man's desires4 ,if the infirmities of years and the distance of his residence did not prevent him1 he would still pay his devotional visits to the well of ,st4 ,michael4 ,he would clear the bed of its ooze1 opening a passage for the streamlet1 plant the borders with fragrant flowers1 and once more1 as in the days of youth1 enjoy the pleasure of seeing the guardian fly skim in sportive circles over the bubbling waves1 and with its little proboscis imbibe the panacean dews4 ,consecrated fish have been reverenced1 from of old1 in ,east and ,west alike4 ,in ,syria1 at the present day1 such fish are preserved in fountains2 and anciently certain pools in the stream1 flowing past ,ascalon1 were the abodes of fish sacred to ,derketo1 the ,phoenician ,venus1 who had a temple there4 ,in our own land the same cult prevailed4 ,a curious ,cornish legend tells how ,st4 ,neot had his well stocked with fish by an angel4 ,these fish were always two in number4 ,day by day1 the saint had one for dinner1 and its place was miraculously supplied to keep up the proper number4 ,one day he fell sick1 and his servant1 contrary to all ascetic precedent1 cooked both and set them before his master4 ,the saint was horrified1 and had both the fish--cooked though they were--put back into the spring4 ,he sought forgiveness for the rash act1 and lo6 the fish became alive once more2 and as a further sign that the sacrilege was condoned1 ,st4 ,neot1 on eating his usual daily portion1 was at once restored to health4 ,in ,scotland there were various springs containing consecrated fish4 ,loch ,siant1 in the ,isle of ,skye1 described by ,mac,culloch as the haunt of the gentler spirits of air and water1 abounded in trout2 but1 as ,martin informs us1 neither the natives nor strangers ever dared to kill any of them on account of the esteem in which the water was held4 ,this superstition seems to have been specially cherished in the island1 for ,martin further says1 ,i saw a little well in ,kilbride1 in the south of ,skie1 with one ,trout only in it2 the natives are very tender of it1 and though they often chance to catch it in their wooden pales1 they are very careful to preserve it from being destroyed2 it has been there for many years4 ,in a well near the church of ,kilmore1 in ,lorne1 were two fishes held in much respect in the seventeenth century1 and called by the people of the district1 ,easg ,seant1 i4e41 holie fishes4 ,from ,dalyell's ,darker ,superstitions of ,scotland we learn that1 like those belonging to ,st4 ,neot1 they were always two in number3 they never varied in size3 in colour they were black1 and according to the testimony of the most aged persons their hue never altered4 ,in ,tober ,kieran1 near ,kells1 ,county ,meath1 ,ireland1 were two miraculous trout which never changed their appearance4 ,a ,strathdon legend1 narrated by the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,gregor1 thus accounts for the appearance of fish in ,tobar ,vachar1 i4e41 ,st4 ,machar's ,well1 at ,corgarff1 a spring formerly held in high honour on account of its cures3--,once there was a famine in the district1 and not a few were dying of hunger4 ,the priest's house stood not far from the well4 ,one day1 during the famine1 his housekeeper came to him and told him that their stock of food was exhausted1 and that there was no more to be got in the district4 ,the priest left the house1 went to the well1 and cried to ,st4 ,machar for help4 ,on his return he told the servant to go to the well the next morning at sunrise1 walk three times round it1 in the name of the ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost1 without looking into it1 and draw from it a draught of water for him4 ,she carried out the request4 ,on stooping down to draw the water1 she saw three fine salmon swimming in the well4 ,they were caught1 and served the two as food1 till supply came to the famine-stricken district from other quarters4 ,according to a ,herefordshire tradition1 a fish with a golden chain round it was caught in the river ,dore1 and was afterwards kept in the spring whence the river flows4 ,at ,peterchurch1 in that county1 is a sculptured stone bearing a rude representation of the fish in question4 ,sometimes the guardian spirit of a loch or well was thought of in the vaguest possible way4 ,in that case the genius loci had neither name nor shape of any kind1 the leaving of an offering being the only recognition of his existence4 ,occasionally the presiding spirit was pictured in the popular imagination in the guise of a demon1 commonly with a hazy personality4 ,callow ,pit1 in ,norfolk1 was believed to contain a treasure-chest guarded by such a being4 ,on one occasion an attempt to raise the chest was made1 and was on the verge of being successful1 when one of the treasure-hunters defied the devil to get his own again4 ,suddenly the chest was snatched down into the pit1 and the ring1 attached to the lid1 alone remained to tell its tale4 ,this ring was afterwards fixed to the door of ,southwood ,church4 ,at ,wavertree1 in ,lancashire1 once stood a monastery and beside it was a well4 ,when pilgrims arrived1 the occupants of the monastery received their alms4 ,if nothing was given1 a demon1 chained to the bottom of the well1 was said to laugh4 ,this notion was either originated or perpetuated by a fifteenth century ,latin inscription to this effect1 ,qui non dat quad habet4 ,daemon infra ridet4 ,when wells were dedicated to ,christian saints1 the latter were usually considered the guardians of the sacred water4 ,this was natural enough4 ,if1 for instance1 ,st4 ,michael was supposed to watch over a spring1 why should not his aid have been sought in connection with any wished-for cure8 ,it is interesting1 however1 to note that this was not so in every instance4 ,in many cases the favourite1 because favourable time for visiting a sacred spring1 was not the festival of the saint to whom it was dedicated1 but1 as we shall see hereafter1 a day quite distinct from such festival4 ,petitions1 too1 were frequently addressed not to the saint of the well1 but to some being with a character possessing fewer ,christian attributes4 ,all this points to the fact that the origin of well-worship is to be sought1 not in the legends of medival ,christianity1 but in the crude fancies of an earlier paganism4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,offerings ,,at ,,lochs ,,and ,,springs4 ,votive ,offerings--,gifts usually of ,small ,value--,toubir-nim-buadh --,rumbling ,well--,heath--,rags--,st4 ,wallach's ,bath--,pins at ,st4 ,wallach's ,well--,luckiness of ,things ,crooked--,pins ,rising in ,wells --,tobar-na-,glas-a-,coille--,lix ,well--,pebbles--,coins--,st4 ,jergon's ,well--,silver ,wells--,brass ,well--,well at ,avoch ,castle--,introduction of ,loch ,katrine ,water into ,glasgow--,some ,glasgow ,springs--,st4 ,thenew's ,well--,st4 ,winifred's ,well--,dr4 ,patrick ,anderson--,offerings in ,france--,gifts in ,consecrated ,buildings--,philosophy of ,votive ,offerings--,infection in ,folklore--,safety of ,offerings--,transference of ,disease--,results of ,theft of ,offerings--,pennies in ,holy ,loch-- ,money in ,clach-nan-,sul--,well-,dressing--,not ,found in ,scotland-- ,festival at ,tissington--,roman and ,english ,fontinalia--,royal ,oak-,day at ,endon4 ,offerings at lochs and springs have been incidentally mentioned more than once1 but the subject is one deserving separate treatment4 ,wells were not merely so much water1 with stones and turf round them1 and lochs1 sheets of water1 encompassed by moorland or forest4 ,they were1 as we have seen1 the haunts of spirits1 propitious if remembered1 but resentful if neglected4 ,hence no one thought it proper to come to them empty-handed4 ,the principle was1 no gift1 no cure4 ,classical literature contains allusions to such votive offerings4 ,numa sacrificed a sheep to a fountain1 and ,horace promised to offer to his sweet ,bandusian spring a kid not without flowers4 ,near ,toulouse1 in ,france1 was a sacred lake1 into whose water the neighbouring tribes anciently threw offerings of gold and silver4 ,in our own country1 the gifts were1 as a rule1 of small intrinsic value4 ,when speaking of ,toubir-nim-buadh1 in ,st4 ,kilda1 ,macaulay says3--,near the fountain stood an altar on which the distressed votaries laid down their oblations4 ,before they could touch the sacred water with any prospect of success1 it was their constant practice to address the genius of the place with supplication and prayer4 ,no one approached him with empty hands4 ,but the devotees were abundantly frugal4 ,the offerings1 presented by them1 were the poorest acknowledgments that could be made to a superior being1 from whom they had either hopes or fears4 ,shells and pebbles1 rags of linen1 or stuffs worn out1 pins1 needles1 or rusty nails1 were generally all the tribute that was paid2 and sometimes1 though rarely enough1 copper coins of the smallest value4 ,the appearance of this well is thus described by the author of ,ecclesiological ,notes3--,a low square-shaped massy stone building with a stone roof1 covers the spring1 which1 after forming a pool in the floor of the cell1 runs down the russet slope like a thread of silver to join the stream in the valley4 ,the offerings1 made by the ,st4 ,kildians1 were indeed much the same as those commonly made in other parts of the country4 ,we get a glimpse of what was done in the south of ,scotland from ,symson1 who1 in his quaint ,description of ,galloway1 remarks3--,in this parish of ,bootle1 about a mile from the kirk1 towards the north1 is a well called the ,rumbling ,well1 frequented by a multitude of sick people for all sorts of diseases the first ,sunday of ,may2 lying there the ,saturday night1 and then drinking of it early in the morning4 ,there is also another well1 about a quarter of a mile distant from the former1 towards the east4 ,this well is made use of by the country people when their cattle are troubled with a disease called by them the ,connoch4 ,this water they carry in vessels to many parts and wash their beasts with it1 and give it them to drink4 ,it is1 too1 remembered that at both the wells they leave behind them something by way of a thank-offering4 ,at the first1 they leave either money or clothes2 at the second1 they leave the bands and shackles wherewith beasts are usually bound4 ,the objects1 commonly left on the cairns beside the ,holy ,pool in ,strathfillan1 have already been enumerated4 ,in addition1 bunches of heath1 tied with worsted1 were occasionally left4 ,the ,cheese ,well1 on ,minchmoor1 in ,peeblesshire1 was so called from the pieces of cheese thrown into it by passers-by as offerings to the fairies4 ,around a certain spring near ,newcastle1 in ,northumberland1 the bushes were so covered with shreds of clothing that the spring went by the name of the ,rag ,well4 ,at ,st4 ,oswald's ,well1 near the foot of ,roseberry ,topping1 in ,yorkshire1 the pieces of cloth were so numerous that1 as a spectator once remarked1 they might have made a fair ream in a paper-mill4 ,a contributor to ,notes and ,queries1 in #ahgf1 observes3--,the custom of hanging shreds of rags on trees as votive offerings still obtains in ,ireland4 ,i remember as a child to have been surreptitiously taken by an ,irish nurse to ,st4 ,john's ,well1 ,aghada1 ,county ,cork1 on the vigil of the saint's day1 to be cured of whooping-cough by drinking three times of the water of the holy well4 ,i shall never forget the strange spectacle of men and women1 creeping on their knees in voluntary devotion1 or in obedience to enjoined penance1 so many times round the well1 which was protected by a grey stone hood1 and had a few white thorn trees growing near it1 on the spines of which fluttered innumerable shreds of frieze and vary-coloured rags1 the votive offerings of devotees and patients4 ,in the ,isle of ,man1 also1 the custom of hanging up rags was at one time much in vogue4 ,in ,malew parish there is ,chibber-,undin1 signifying the ,foundation ,well1 so called from the foundations of a now almost obliterated chapel hard by4 ,the ritual practised at the well is thus described by ,mr4 ,a4 ,w4 ,moore in his ,surnames and ,place-names of the ,isle of ,man3--,the patients who came to it1 took a mouthful of water1 retaining it in their mouths till they had twice walked round the well4 ,they then took a piece of cloth from a garment which they had worn1 wetted it from the water from the well1 and hung it on the hawthorn tree which grew there4 ,when the cloth had rotted away the cure was supposed to be effected4 ,evidence from ,wales to the same effect is furnished by ,professor ,rhys in ,folklore for ,september1 #ahib4 ,he there gives the following information1 lately sent to him by a friend1 about a ,glamorganshire holy well situated between ,coychurch and ,bredgled3--,it is the custom1 he writes1 for people suffering from any malady to dip a rag in the water1 and bathe the affected part4 ,the rag is then placed on a tree close to the well4 ,when ,i passed it1 about three years ago1 there were hundreds of these shreds covering the tree1 and some had evidently been placed there very recently4 ,professor ,rhys also refers to other ,glamorganshire springs where rags are to be seen hanging on trees4 ,scottish examples of the same superstition are numerous4 ,at ,montblairie1 in ,banffshire1 pieces of linen and woollen stuffs were hung on the boughs beside a consecrated well1 and farthings and bodles were thrown into the spring itself4 ,the bushes around a well at ,houston1 in ,renfrewshire1 were at one time the recipients of many a rag4 ,hugh ,miller1 who took so keen an interest in all such relics of superstition1 has not failed to notice the custom as practised near his native town of ,cromarty4 ,in his ,scenes and ,legends of the ,north of ,scotland1 he says3--,it is not yet twenty years since a thorn bush1 which formed a little canopy over the spring of ,st4 ,bennet1 used to be covered anew every season with little pieces of rag1 left on it as offerings to the saint by sick people who came to drink of the water4 ,st4 ,wallach's ,bath1 in ,strathdeveron1 was a popular health-resort till the beginning of the present century4 ,non-thriving children were brought to it annually in large numbers4 ,no longer ago than #ahgd an invalid from the seaside sought its aid4 ,the bath--a cavity in the rock fully a yard in depth--is close to the river1 and is supplied with water from a scanty spring1 several yards higher up the slope4 ,the supply trickles over the edge of the bath into the river1 some four feet below4 ,a bib or other part of the child's clothing was hung on a neighbouring tree or thrown into the bath4 ,sometimes when the ,deveron was in flood1 it submerged the bath1 and swept these offerings down to the sea4 ,as previously mentioned1 ,st4 ,wallach's ,well1 hard by1 was much resorted to for the cure of sore eyes4 ,pins were the usual offerings4 ,they were left in a hole in a stone beside the well4 ,may was the favourite season for visiting the spring1 and by the end of the month the hole was often full of pins4 ,this was the case down to a comparatively recent date4 ,offerings1 such as pins1 were often thrown into the well itself instead of being left beside its margin4 ,near ,wooler1 in ,northumberland1 on the southern slopes of the ,cheviots1 is a spring locally styled the ,pin ,well4 ,a fairy was believed to make it her home1 and maidens1 as they passed1 dropped in a crooked pin to gain her good graces4 ,crooked pins were rather popular1 anything so bent--e4g41 a crooked sixpence--being deemed lucky4 ,in the case of more than one ,english spring the notion prevailed that1 when a pin was thrown in1 the votary would see the pins already there rise to meet the newcomer4 ,but faith was essential4 ,otherwise the mysterious vision would be withheld4 ,we do not know that a corresponding belief prevailed north of the ,tweed4 ,between the glens of ,corgarff and ,glengairn in ,aberdeenshire1 is the spring known as ,tobar-na-,glas-a-,coille or ,the ,well in the ,grey ,wood4 ,a pin or other piece of metal had to be dropped into it by anyone taking a draught of its water4 ,whoever neglected this duty1 and at any time afterwards again drew water from the spring1 was doomed to die of thirst4 ,some of these votive pins were found at the bottom of the well1 no longer ago than the autumn of #ahia4 ,probably very few travellers by the ,callander and ,oban railway are aware of the existence of an interesting1 but now neglected holy well1 only a few yards distant from the line4 ,it is situated at the entrance of rugged ,glen ,ogle1 and from the spot a fine view can be had of ,ben ,lawers1 ,ben ,more1 and ,ben ,loy4 ,the well is on ,wester ,lix farm1 and is locally known as the ,lix ,well4 ,the spring rises in one of the many hillocks in the neighbourhood4 ,the top of the hillock had been levelled4 ,round the spring is built a wall of stone and turf1 about two feet in height1 and shaped like a horse-shoe1 the opening being to the east4 ,the distance across the enclosed space is about fourteen feet4 ,in the centre is the well1 in the form of a parallelogram1 two feet by one and a half1 with a long drain leading from it through the opening of the horse-shoe4 ,this drain was at one time covered with flagstones4 ,four shapely lintels of micaceous schist enclose the well4 ,the spot used to be frequented at the beginning of ,may1 the wall already referred to forming a convenient resting-place for visitors4 ,quartz pebbles were the favourite offerings on these occasions4 ,immediately behind the well1 quite a small cairn of them can still be seen4 ,pebbles were among the cheapest possible offerings1 the only cost being the trouble of picking them up4 ,coins were rather more expensive2 but1 as they were commonly of small value1 the outlay was trifling even in their case4 ,the more fervent the zeal of the votary1 the greater would doubtless be the length he or she would go in the matter of expense4 ,in the parish of ,culsalmond1 in ,aberdeenshire1 a gold coin of ,james ,i4 of ,scotland was found associated with an ancient healing-well4 ,such liberality1 however1 was rare4 ,after describing ,st4 ,maelrubha's ,well on ,innis ,maree in the ,proceedings of the ,society of ,antiquaries of ,scotland1 volume iv41 ,sir ,arthur ,mitchell observes1 ,near it stands an oak tree1 which is studded with nails4 ,to each of these was originally attached a piece of the clothing of some patient who had visited the spot4 ,there are hundreds of nails1 and one has still fastened to it a faded ribbon4 ,two bone buttons and two buckles we also found nailed to the tree4 ,countless pennies and halfpennies are driven edge-ways into the wood--over many the bark is closing1 over many it has already closed4 ,within recent years1 another visitor from the south examined one of the coins stuck into the tree4 ,it was ostensibly silver1 but proved on examination to be counterfeit4 ,the pilgrim1 who left it as an offering1 evidently thought that the saint could be easily imposed upon4 ,as in the case of the pins1 the coins1 given as offerings were1 as a rule1 thrown into the spring itself4 ,as an example1 we may cite the case of ,st4 ,jergon's or ,st4 ,querdon's ,well in ,troqueer parish1 ,kirkcudbrightshire4 ,in an article in the ,transactions of the ,dumfries and ,galloway ,natural ,history ,society for #ahgj1 ,mr4 ,patrick ,dudgeon remarks1 ,taking advantage of the very dry summer of last year when the spring was unusually low1 ,i had the well thoroughly cleaned out and put in order1 it having been almost obliterated by cattle being allowed to use it as a watering-place4 ,several hundreds of coins were found at the bottom--almost all being of the smallest description of copper coin1 dating from the time of ,elizabeth to that of ,george ,,iii4444 ,none were of any particular interest or value2 the greatest number are ,scottish1 and belong to the time of ,james ,,vi41 ,charles ,i41 and ,charles ,,ii4 ,the circumstance that no coins were found of an older date than the reign of ,elizabeth is not at all conclusive that offerings of a similar nature had not been made at much earlier periods4 ,it will be observed that the oldest coins are the thinnest1 and that1 although many are as thin as a sheet of writing paper1 the legend on them is perfectly distinct and legible2 this1 of course1 would not have been the case had the thinning process been owing to wear and tear4 ,when first taken out1 they were perfectly bright--as new copper--and had all the appearance of having been subjected to the action of an acid4 ,something in the water has acted very slowly as a solvent on the metal1 and1 acting quite equally over the whole surface1 has reduced the coins to their present state3 it is1 therefore1 reasonable to conclude that1 owing to the solvent properties of the water1 any coins thrown into the well anterior to the date of those found may have been completely dissolved4 ,mr4 ,dudgeon mentions having been told by old people in the neighbourhood1 that they remembered the time1 when rags and ribbons were hung on the bushes around the well4 ,it is a remarkable circumstance that even since the cleaning out of the spring above referred to1 coins have been thrown into it4 ,a recent examination of the spot brought these to light1 and showed the persistence of this curious phase of well-worship4 ,what would be styled a collection in silver in modern ecclesiastical language was sometimes regarded with special favour4 ,the name of the ,silver ,wells in different parts of the country can thus be accounted for4 ,there is a ,siller ,well in ,walston parish1 ,lanarkshire4 ,arbroath1 in ,forfarshire2 ,alvah1 in ,banffshire2 and ,fraserburgh1 in ,aberdeenshire1 have each their ,silver ,well4 ,at ,turriff1 in the last-mentioned county1 there is a farm on the estate of ,gask called ,silver ,wells after a local spring4 ,at ,trelevean1 in ,cornwall1 is a spring known as the ,brass ,well4 ,its name1 however1 is derived not from the nature of the offerings left there1 but from the colour of the scum on its surface4 ,close to the ruins of ,avoch ,castle1 in the ,black ,isle1 is a well hollowed out of the conglomerate rock4 ,tradition says1 that the treasures of the castle were thrown into it about the middle of the seventeenth century4 ,this was done1 not by way of offering a gift to the presiding spirit of the water1 but to prevent the valuables from falling into the hands of ,cromwell's troops4 ,a diamond ring was dropped1 not very long ago1 into ,st4 ,molio's ,well1 on ,holy ,island1 near ,lamlash4 ,it fell into the water by accident1 and1 after remaining in it for some time1 was found and restored to its owner4 ,the present ample water-supply of ,glasgow from ,loch ,katrine was introduced in #ahei4 ,for about fifty years before that date1 the city looked mainly to the ,clyde for the supply of its daily needs4 ,still earlier1 it depended entirely on its wells4 ,in #agcf these are believed to have numbered about thirty in all4 ,among the best known were the ,deanside or ,meadow ,well1 ,bogle's ,well1 ,barrasyett ,well near the foot of ,saltmarket1 the ,priest's or ,minister's ,well and ,lady ,well beside the ,molendinar1 the ,arns ,well in the ,green--so-called from the alders on its brink1 and ,st4 ,thenew's ,well1 near what is now ,st4 ,enoch's ,square4 ,not far from the well was a chapel dedicated to ,st4 ,thenew1 with a graveyard round it4 ,some remains of the chapel were to be seen in #agcf1 when ,m',ure wrote his history of the city4 ,dr4 ,andrew ,mac,george1 in his ,old ,glasgow1 when describing ,st4 ,thenew's ,well1 remarks1 ,it was shaded by an old tree which drooped over the well1 and which remained till the end of the last century4 ,on this tree1 the devotees1 who frequented the well1 were accustomed to nail1 as thank-offerings1 small bits of tin-iron--probably manufactured for that purpose by a craftsman in the neighbourhood--representing the parts of the body supposed to have been cured by the virtues of the sacred spring1 such as eyes1 hands1 feet1 ears1 and others4 ,dr4 ,mac,george further mentions that the well was cleaned out about a hundred years ago4 ,on that occasion there were picked out from among the debris at the bottom several of these old votive offerings which had dropped into it from the tree1 the stump of which was at that time still standing4 ,horace tells of a shipwrecked sailor1 hanging up his garments1 as a thank-offering in the temple of the divinity who delivered him from the angry sea4 ,in like manner1 ,pennant describes what he saw at ,st4 ,winifred's ,well1 in ,north ,wales4 ,all infirmities1 he says1 incident to the human body1 met with relief2 the votive crutches1 the barrows and other proofs of cures1 to this moment remain as evidence pendent over the well4 ,in his ,spring of ,kinghorn ,craig1 published in ,edinburgh in #afah1 ,dr4 ,patrick ,anderson has some curious remarks on the subject of votive offerings4 ,he speaks of wells as being all tapestried about with old rags1 as certaine signes and sacraments wherewith they arle the well with ane arls-pennie of their health4 ,he continues1 ,so suttle is that false knave making them believe that it is only the virtue of the water1 and no thing else4 ,such people cannot say with ,david1 ',the ,lord is my helper1' but the ,devill4 ,what can still be seen on the other side of the ,english ,channel is thus described by the ,rev4 ,c4 ,n4 ,barham1 in an article on ,ragged ,relics1 in ,the ,antiquary for ,january1 #ahic3--;,at ,wierre ,effroy1 in ,france1 where the water of ,st4 ,godeleine's ,well is esteemed efficacious for ague1 rheumatism1 gout1 and all affections of the limbs1 a heterogeneous collection of crutches1 bandages1 coils of rags1 and other rejected adjuncts of medical treatment1 is to be seen hanging upon the surrounding shrubs4 ,they are intended as thank-offerings and testimonies of restoration4 ,other springs1 famous for curing ophthalmia1 abound in the same district1 and here too1 bandages1 shades1 guards1 and rags innumerable are exhibited4 ,the leaving of offerings at wells finds a parallel in the practice1 at one time common1 of depositing gifts in consecrated buildings4 ,the chapel of ,st4 ,tears1 in the parish of ,wick1 ,caithness1 used to be visited on ,childermas 7,december #bhth7 by devotees1 who left in it pieces of bread and cheese as offerings to the souls of the ,holy ,innocents slain by ,herod4 ,this was done till about the beginning of the present century4 ,till even a later date it was customary for the inhabitants of ,mirelandorn to go to the ,kirk of ,moss1 in the same parish1 on ,christmas before sunrise4 ,they took bread and cheese as offerings1 and placed them along with a silver coin on a certain stone4 ,the ,kirk of ,moss was dedicated to ,duthac1 patron saint of ,tain2 and the gifts were doubtless destined for him4 ,on ,eilean ,mr is a chapel said to have been built by ,charmaig1 the tutelar saint of the island4 ,in a recess in this building is a stone coffin1 anciently used for the interment of priests4 ,the following statement occurs in the ,old ,statistical ,account of ,scotland3--,the coffin1 also1 for ages back1 has served the saint as a treasury2 and this1 perhaps1 might be the purpose for which it was originally intended4 ,till of late1 not a stranger set foot on the island who did not conciliate his favour by dropping a small coin into a chink between its cover and side4 ,when we examine the motives prompting to the practice under review1 we can discover the working of a principle1 vaguely grasped perhaps1 but sufficiently understood to serve as a guide to action4 ,this crude philosophy was two-fold4 ,on the one hand1 the gift left at a loch or spring was what has been facetiously styled a retaining fee4 ,it secured the goodwill of the genius loci1 and thereby guaranteed to a certain extent the fulfilment of the suppliant's desire4 ,this desire1 as we have seen1 was commonly the removal of a definite disease4 ,on the other hand1 the disease to be removed was in some mysterious way identified with the offering4 ,the latter was the symbol1 or rather the embodiment of the former1 and1 accordingly1 to leave the gift was to leave the ailment--the patient being thus freed from both4 ,the corollary to this was1 that whoever removed the offering took away also the disease represented by it4 ,according to a well-established law of medical science1 infection is transferred from one person to another by clothing1 or indeed by whatever comes into contact with the morbid particles from the patient's body4 ,but infection in folklore is something different from this4 ,disease of any kind1 whether usually reckoned infectious or not1 passed via the offering to the person lifting it4 ,hence such gifts had a charmed existence1 and were as safe as if under the sweep of the ,ancient ,monuments ,protection ,act4 ,the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,gregor thus expresses the feeling on this point1 as it prevailed till lately in the north-east of ,scotland3--,no one would have been foolhardy enough to have even touched what had been left1 far less to have carried it off4 ,a child1 or one who did not know1 was most carefully instructed why such things were left in and around the well1 and strict charge was laid not to touch or carry any of them off4 ,whoever carried off one of such relics contracted the disease of the one who left it4 ,the notion that disease can be transferred lies at the root of various folk-cures4 ,dalyell1 in his ,darker ,superstitions1 remarks1 ,it is said that1 in the ,highlands1 a cat is washed in the water which has served for the ablution of an invalid1 as if the disease absorbed from one living creature could be received by another1 instead of being let free4 ,in some parts of the ,highlands1 a common cure for an ailing cow was to make the animal swallow a live trout1 so that the disease might pass from the one creature to the other4 ,this was done not long ago1 at a farm near ,golspie1 in ,sutherland4 ,in ,norfolk1 as a remedy for whooping-cough1 a spider was caught1 tied up in a piece of muslin1 and pinned over the mantelpiece4 ,the cough disappeared when the spider died4 ,in ,gloucestershire1 ague was cured in the following way3--,a living snail was worn in a bag round the neck for nine days4 ,the snail was then thrown upon the fire when it was believed to shake as if with ague1 and the patient recovered4 ,many more illustrations of this principle might be given1 but the above are sufficient to show how it was applied4 ,symson records an instance in ,galloway of swift vengeance following the theft of certain votive offerings4 ,he says1 ,hereabout1 i4e41 near ,larg1 in ,minnigaff parish1 is a well called the ,gout ,well of ,larg1 of which they tell this story--how that a piper stole away the offering left at this well1 but when he was drinking of ale1 which he intended to pay with the money he had taken away1 the gout1 as they say1 seized on him1 of which he could not be cured1 but at that well1 having first restored to it the money he had formerly taken away4 ,accident1 rather than disease1 sometimes resulted from such sacrilegious acts4 ,the offerings were the property of the guardian spirit who was quick to resent their removal and to punish the doer of the deed4 ,in the district of ,ardnamurchan is a cave1 associated with ,columba1 who there baptised some freebooters4 ,the water used for the purpose lay in a hollow of the rock1 and1 in after times1 votive gifts were left beside it4 ,on one occasion1 a young man stole some of these1 but he did not remain long unpunished1 for before reaching home he fell and broke his leg4 ,tobar-fuar-,mrie1 i4e41 ,the big cold ,well1 situated at the foot of a steep hill in the parish of ,corgarff1 ,aberdeenshire1 consists of three springs about a yard distant from each other4 ,each spring formerly cured a separate disease--one1 blindness2 the other1 deafness2 and the third1 lameness4 ,the guardian spirit of the springs lived under a large stone called the kettle stone1 because below it was a kettle where she stored her votive offerings4 ,she was somewhat exacting in her demands1 for no cure could be expected unless gold was presented4 ,these particulars were obtained in the district by the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,gregor1 who records them in ,folklore for ,march1 #ahib1 and adds1 ,if one tried to rob the spirit1 death by some terrible accident soon followed4 ,my informant1 more than fifty years ago1 when a lad1 resolved to remove the kettle stone from its position1 and so become possessor of the spirit's gold4 ,he accordingly set out with a few companions all provided with picks and spades1 to displace the stone4 ,after a good deal of hard labour the stone was moved from its site1 but no kettle full of gold was found4 ,an old woman met the lads on their way to their homes1 and when she learnt what they had been doing1 she assured them they would all die within a few weeks1 and that a terrible death would befall the ring-leader4 ,that the guardians of springs look well after their possessions in the new world1 as well as in the old1 is proved by the following quotation from ,sir ,j4 ,lubbock's ,origin of ,civilisation3--,in ,north ,mexico1 he says1 ,lieutenant ,whipple found a sacred spring which1 from time immemorial 'had been held sacred to the rain-god4' ,no animal may drink of its waters4 ,it must be annually cleansed with ancient vases1 which1 having been transmitted from generation to generation by the caciques1 are then placed upon the walls1 never to be removed4 ,the frog1 the tortoise1 and the rattlesnake represented upon them1 are sacred to ,montezuma1 the patron of the place1 who would consume by lightning any sacrilegious hand that should dare to take the relics away4 ,with the growth of enlightenment men's minds rose above such delusions4 ,had it not been so1 the ,holy ,wells in our land would still have presented the appearance of rag fairs1 or served as museums for old coins4 ,holy ,loch1 in ,dunnet1 ,caithness1 used to be much resorted to as a place of healing4 ,the invalids walked or were carried round the lake and threw a penny into the water4 ,some of these pennies have been picked up from time to time by persons who have outgrown the old superstition4 ,the hollow in the ,clach-nan-,sul at ,balquhidder1 already referred to1 contained small coins placed there by those who sought a cure for their sore eyes4 ,mr4 ,j4 ,mackintosh ,gow was told by some one in the district1 that people1 when going to church1 having forgotten their small change1 used in passing to put their hands in the well and find a coin4 ,mr4 ,gow's informant mentioned that he had done so himself4 ,in the ceremony known as well-dressing or well-flowering1 the offerings took the form of blossoms and green boughs4 ,for different reasons ,scotland has not been abreast of ,england in floral matters4 ,only in the latter country did the practice take root1 and even there only within a somewhat limited area4 ,we must seek for its home in ,derbyshire and the adjacent counties4 ,at some places it has died out1 while at others it still survives1 and forms the excuse for a pleasant holiday4 ,at ,bonchurch1 ,isle of ,wight1 indeed1 ,st4 ,boniface's ,well was decorated with wreaths of flowers on the saint's day2 but this was an exceptional instance so far south4 ,within comparatively recent years well-flowering has1 at one or two places1 been either instituted1 as at ,belper1 in ,derbyshire1 in #ahch1 or revived1 as at ,st4 ,alkmund's ,well in ,derby1 in #ahgj4 ,the clergy and choir of ,st4 ,alkmund's ,church celebrate the day by meeting at the church and walking in procession to the well4 ,writing in the seventeenth century1 ,aubrey says1 ,in ,cheshire1 when they went in perambulation1 they did bless the springs1 i4e41 they did read the ,gospel at them1 and did believe the water was the better4 ,at ,droitwich1 in ,worcestershire1 a salt spring1 dedicated to ,st4 ,richard1 used to be annually adorned with flowers4 ,a correspondent of the ,gentleman's ,magazine of #agid remarks1 ,in the village of ,tissington1 in the county of ,derby1 a place remarkable for fine springs of water1 it has been a custom1 time immemorial1 on every ,holy ,thursday1 to decorate the wells with boughs of trees1 garlands of tulips1 and other flowers1 placed in various fancied devices1 and1 after prayers for the day at the church1 for the parson and singers to pray and sing psalms at the wells4 ,in ,hone's ,every ,day ,book1 under date #ahbf1 are the following remarks by a correspondent3--,tissington 'well-dressing' is a festivity which not only claims a high antiquity1 but is one of the few country ftes which are kept up with anything like the ancient spirit4 ,it is one which is heartily loved and earnestly anticipated2 one which draws the hearts of those who were brought up there1 but whom fortune has cast into distant places1 homewards with an irresistible charm4 ,i have not had the pleasure of witnessing it1 but ,i have had that of seeing the joy which sparkled in the eyes of the ,tissingtonians as they talked of its approach and of their projected attendance4 ,the festival is still held in honour at ,tissington1 and elaborate preparations continue to be made for its celebration4 ,flowers are arranged in patterns to form mottoes and texts of ,scripture1 and also devices1 such as crosses1 crowns1 and triangles1 while green boughs are added to complete the picture4 ,a correspondent of ,notes and ,queries thus describes the decorations on ,ascension ,day in #ahhg3 ,the name of 'well-dressing' scarcely gives a proper idea of these beautiful structures4 ,they are rather fountains or cascades1 the water descending from above1 and not rising as in a well4 ,their height varies from ten to twelve feet1 and the original stone frontage is on this day hidden by a wooden erection in the form of an arch or some other elegant design4 ,over these planks a layer of plaster of ,paris is spread1 and whilst it is wet1 flowers without leaves are stuck in it1 forming a most beautiful mosaic pattern4 ,on one the large yellow field ranunculus was arranged in letters1 and so a verse of ,scripture or of a hymn was recalled to the spectator's mind4 ,on another a white dove was sculptured in the plaster and set in a ground-work of the humble violet4 ,the daisy1 which our poet ,chaucer would gaze upon for hours together1 formed a diaper-work of red and white2 the pale yellow primrose was set off by the rich red of the 'ribes4' ,nor were the coral berries of the holly1 mountain ash1 and yew forgotten2 they are carefully gathered and stored in the winter to be ready for the ,may ,day fte4 ,it is scarcely possible to describe the vivid colouring and beautiful effect of these favourites of nature arranged in wreaths and garlands and devices of every hue4 ,and then the pure sparkling water1 which pours down from the midst of them on to the rustic moss-grown stones beneath1 completes the enchantment1 and makes this feast of the 'well-flowering' one of the most beautiful of all the old customs that are left in ,merrie ,england4 ,well-flowering also prevails at ,buxton1 and is a source of interest to the many visitors to that airy health resort4 ,such floral devices do not now rank as votive gifts4 ,they are merely decorations4 ,the custom may have originated in the ,roman ,fontinalia4 ,at any rate it had at one time a corresponding object4 ,the ,fontinalia formed an annual flower-festival in honour of the nymphs inhabiting springs4 ,joyous bands visited the fountains1 crowned them with boughs1 and threw nosegays into their sparkling water4 ,the parallelism between the ,roman and the ,english ,fontinalia is too well marked to be overlooked4 ,in ,derbyshire and ,staffordshire the ceremony of well-dressing is usually observed on ,ascension ,day4 ,in more than one instance the festival has attracted to itself various old ,english sports commonly associated with ,may ,day4 ,among these may be mentioned ,may-pole and ,morris-dancing and crowning the ,may-queen4 ,at ,endon1 in ,staffordshire1 the festival is celebrated on ,royal ,oak ,day 7,may #bith71 or on the following day if the #bith is a ,sunday4 ,the following account--somewhat abbreviated--is from the ,staffordshire ,evening ,post of #cast ,may1 #ahib1 and gives some interesting particulars about the festival3 ,the secluded village of ,endon yesterday celebrated the well-dressing feast4 ,this institution1 dear to the heart of every loyal inhabitant1 holds foremost rank in the local calends1 for it is not a holiday of ordinary frivolous significance1 but a thanksgiving festival4 ,the proceeds1 which generally amount to some hundreds of pounds1 are divided between the poor of the parish and the parochial schools4 ,there are two wells at ,endon4 ,one is very old and almost dry1 and has long since fallen into disuse4 ,the other alone supplies the village with water4 ,from a very early hour in the morning the whole village was astir1 and those people who were gifted with taste and a delicate touch busied themselves in bedecking the wells for the coming ceremony4 ,as the day advanced1 crowds of visitors poured in from all parts of the potteries2 and towards evening the village green probably held no fewer than two thousand people4 ,the proceedings1 which were under the personal guidance of the vicar1 commenced a little before two o'clock4 ,a procession of about a hundred and twenty ,sunday-school children was formed at the new well1 with the ,brownedge village brass band at its head4 ,the children carried little flags1 which they vigorously waved in excess of glee4 ,the band struck up bravely1 and the procession marched in good order up the hill to the old parish church1 where a solemn service was conducted4 ,the villagers attended in overwhelming numbers1 and completely thronged the building4 ,there was a fully surpliced choir1 whose singing1 coupled with the music of the organ1 greatly added to the impressiveness of the service4 ,hymns and psalms1 selected by the vicar as applicable to a thanksgiving service for water1 were sung by the congregation in spirited style4 ,at the conclusion of the service the procession was reformed1 the band leading the way back to the new well4 ,upon arrival1 the clergy and choir1 who had retained their surplices1 walked slowly round the well1 singing ',rock of ,ages' and ',a living stream as crystal clear4' ,both wells were very beautifully decorated2 but the new well was a masterpiece of elaborated art4 ,a large wooden framework had been erected in front of the well1 and upon this a smooth surface of soft clay had been laid4 ,the clay was thickly studded with many thousands of flower heads in great variety of kind and hue1 and in pictorial as well as geometrical arrangement4 ,there were two very pretty figures of peacocks in daisies1 bluebells1 and dahlias1 and a resplendent motto1 ',o1 ye wells6 bless ye the ,lord6' 7from the ,benedicite7 garnished the summit4 ,the old well was almost deserted1 although its decorations were well worthy of inspection4 ,its motto1 ',give me this water' 7from the fourth chapter of ,st4 ,john7 was very finely traced1 and its centre figures--two white doves and a crown--were sufficiently striking4 ,may-pole dances1 including the crowning of the ,may-queen1 occupied the greater part of the afternoon4 ,in the evening the band played for dancing1 and there was a repetition of the ,may-pole dances4 ,after dusk there was a display of fireworks4 ,though1 as already stated1 well-dressing was unknown north of the ,tweed1 any account of votive offerings would be incomplete without a reference to the picturesque ceremony4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,weather ,,and ,,wells4 ,importance of ,weather--,its ,place in ,folklore--,raising the ,wind--,witches and ,wind-charms--,blue-stone in ,fladda--,well in ,gigha--,tobernacoragh--,routing-well--, water ,cross--,stone in ,british ,columbia--,other ,rain-charms--,survivals in ,folk-customs--,sympathetic ,magic--,dulyn--,barenton--,tobar ,faolan--,st4 ,fumac's ,image at ,botriphnie--,molly ,grime4 ,in all ages much attention has been given to the weather1 with special reference to its bearings on human well-being4 ,as ,mr4 ,r4 ,inwards truly observes1 in his ,weather-lore1 ,from the earliest times hunters1 shepherds1 sailors1 and tillers of the earth have from sheer necessity been led to study the teachings of the winds1 the waves1 the clouds1 and a hundred other objects from which the signs of coming changes in the state of the air might be foretold4 ,the weather-wise amongst these primitive people would be naturally the most prosperous1 and others would soon acquire the coveted foresight by a closer observance of the same objects from which their successful rivals guessed the proper time to provide against a storm1 or reckoned on the prospects of the coming crops4 ,hence1 naturally enough1 the weather has an important place in folklore4 ,various prognostications concerning it have been drawn from sun and moon1 from animals and flowers2 while certain meteorological phenomena have1 in their turn1 been regarded as prophetic of mundane events4 ,thus1 in the astrological treatise entitled ,the ,knowledge of ,things ,unknown1 we read that ,thunder in ,january signifieth the same year great winds1 plentiful of corn and cattle peradventure2 in ,february1 many rich men shall die in great sickness2 in ,march1 great winds1 plenty of corn1 and debate amongst people2 in ,april1 be fruitful and merry with the death of wicked men2 and so on through the other months of the year4 ,one can easily understand why thunder should be counted peculiarly ominous4 ,the effects produced on the mind by its mysterious noise1 and on the nerves by the electricity in the air1 are apt to lead superstitious people to expect strange events4 ,particular notice was taken of the weather on certain ecclesiastical festivals1 and omens were drawn from its condition4 ,thus1 from ,the ,husbandman's ,practice1 we learn that ,the wise and cunning masters in astrology have found that man may see and mark the weather of the holy ,christmas night1 how the whole year after shall be in his making and doing1 and they shall speak on this wise4 ,when on the ,christmas night and evening it is very fair and clear weather1 and is without wind and without rain1 then it is a token that this year will be plenty of wine and fruit4 ,but if the contrariwise1 foul weather and windy1 so shall it be very scant of wine and fruit4 ,but if the wind arise at the rising of the sun1 then it betokeneth great dearth among beasts and cattle this year4 ,but if the wind arise at the going down of the same1 then it signifieth death to come among kings and other great lords4 ,we do not suppose that anyone nowadays attends to such ,yule-tide auguries1 but there are not wanting those who have a lingering belief in the power of ,candlemas and ,st4 ,swithin's ,day to foretell the sort of weather to be expected in the immediate future4 ,witches were believed to be able to raise the wind at their pleasure4 ,in a confession made at ,auldearn in ,nairnshire1 in the year #affb1 certain women1 accused of sorcery1 said1 ,when we raise the wind we take a rag of cloth and wet it in water1 and we take a beetle and knock the rag on a stone1 and we say thrice over-- ',i knock this rag upon this stane1 ,to raise the wind in the devil's name4 ,it shall not lie until ,i please again6' ,when the wind was to be allayed the rag was dried4 ,about #afgj an attempt was made to drain some two thousand acres of land belonging to the estate of ,dun in ,forfarshire4 ,the ,dronner's1 i4e41 ,drainer's ,dyke--remains of which are still to be seen behind the ,montrose ,infirmary--was built in connection with the scheme4 ,but the work was destroyed by a terrible storm1 caused1 it was believed1 by a certain ,meggie ,cowie--the last to be burned for witchcraft in the district4 ,about eighty years before1 a notable witch-trial in the time of ,james ,,vi4 had to do with the raising of a storm4 ,a certain woman1 ,agnes ,sampson1 residing in ,haddingtonshire1 confessed that she belonged to a company of two hundred witches1 and that they were all in the habit of sailing along the coast in sieves to meet the devil at the kirk of ,north ,berwick4 ,after one of these interviews the woman took a cat and christened it1 and1 after fixing to it parts of a dead man's body1 threw the creature into the sea in presence of the other witches4 ,the king1 who was then returning from ,denmark with his bride1 was delayed by contrary winds1 and such a tempest arose in the ,firth of ,forth that a vessel1 containing valuable gifts for the queen on her arrival1 sank between ,burntisland and ,leith4 ,the ,rev4 ,t4 ,f4 ,thiselton ,dyer makes the suggestion in his ,folklore of ,shakespeare1 that it was probably to these contrary winds that the author of ,macbeth alludes when he makes the witch say-- ,though his bark cannot be lost1 ,yet it shall be tempest-tost4 ,even down to the end of last century1 and probably later1 some well-educated people believed that the devil had the power of raising the wind4 ,the phrase1 the prince of the power of the air1 applied to him in ,scripture1 was interpreted in a literal way4 ,the ,diary of the ,rev4 ,john ,mill1 minister in ,shetland from #agdj till #ahjc1 bears witness to such a belief4 ,in his introduction to the work1 the editor1 ,mr4 ,gilbert ,goudie1 tells us3 ,he 7,mill7 was often heard talking aloud with his 7to others7 unseen foe2 but those who heard him declared that he spoke in an unknown tongue1 presumably ,hebrew4 ,after one of these encounters the worthy man was heard muttering1 ',well1 let him do his worst2 the wind aye in my face will not hurt me4' ,this was in response to a threat of the devil1 that wherever he 7,mill7 went1 he 7,satan7 should be a-blowing 'wind in his teeth1' in consequence of which ,mill was unable ever after to get passage out of ,shetland4 ,on the #eth of ,november1 #afje1 a terrible storm swept over the north of ,scotland and destroyed part of the cathedral at ,dornoch4 ,as is well known1 the day in question was selected by ,guy ,fawkes for blowing up the ,houses of ,parliament4 ,in his ,cathedral of ,caithness1 at ,dornoch1 ,mr4 ,hugh ,f4 ,campbell tells us3 ,when the news of the gunpowder plot reached the north1 the co-incidence of time at once impressed the imagination of a superstitious age4 ,the storm was invested with an element of the marvellous4 ,mr4 ,campbell then quotes the following curious passage from ,sir ,robert ,gordon1 specially referring to ,satan's connection with the tempest3--,the same verie night that this execrable plott should have been put in execution all the inner stone pillars of the north syd of the body of the cathedral church at ,dornogh--lacking the rooff before--were blowen from the verie roots and foundation quyt and clein over the outer walls of the church3 such as hath sein the same4 ,these great winds did even then prognosticate and forshew some great treason to be at hand2 and as the divell was busie then to trouble the ayre1 so wes he bussie by these hiss fyrebrands to trouble the estate of ,great ,britane4 ,the notion that storms1 especially when accompanied by thunder and lightning1 were the work of evil spirits1 came out prominently during the middle ages in connection with bells4 ,the ringing of bells was believed to drive away the demons1 and so allay the tempest4 ,a singular superstition concerning the causation of storms was brought to light in ,hungary during the autumn of #ahib in connection with the fear of cholera4 ,at ,kidzaes a patient died of what was thought to be that disease1 and a post mortem examination was ordered by the local authorities4 ,strenuous opposition1 however1 was offered by the villagers on the ground that the act would cause such a hail-storm as would destroy their crops4 ,feeling ran so high that a riot was imminent1 and the project had to be abandoned4 ,eric1 the ,swedish king1 could control the winds through his enchantments4 ,by turning his cap he was able to bring a breeze from whatever quarter he wished4 ,mr4 ,g4 ,l4 ,gomme1 in his ,ethnology in ,folklore1 remarks1 ,at ,kempoch ,point1 in the ,firth of ,clyde1 is a columnar rock called the ,kempoch ,stane1 from whence a saint was wont to dispense favourable winds to those who paid for them1 and unfavourable to those who did not put confidence in his powers--a tradition which seems to have been carried on by the ,innerkip witches who were tried in #affb1 and some portions of which still linger among the sailors of ,greenock4 ,the stone in question consists of a block of grey mica schist six feet in height and two in diameter4 ,it is locally known as ,granny ,kempoch4 ,in former times sailors and fishermen sought to ensure good fortune on the sea by walking seven times round the stone4 ,while making their rounds they carried in their hand a basket of sand1 and at the same time uttered an eerie chant4 ,newly-married couples used also to walk round the stone by way of luck4 ,at the beginning of the present century a certain woman1 ,bessie ,miller by name1 lived in ,stromness1 in ,orkney1 and eked out her livelihood by selling winds to mariners4 ,her usual charge was sixpence4 ,for this sum1 as ,sir ,w4 ,scott tells us1 she boiled her kettle1 and gave the barque advantage of her prayers1 for she disclaimed all unlawful arts4 ,the wind1 thus petitioned for1 was sure to arrive1 though sometimes the mariners had to wait some time for it4 ,her house was on the brow of the steep hill above the town1 and for exposure might have been the abode of ,eolus himself4 ,at the time of ,sir ,walter's visit to ,stromness1 ,bessie ,miller was nearly a hundred years old1 and appeared withered and dried up like a mummy4 ,we make her acquaintance in the ,pirate1 under the name of ,norna of the ,fitful ,head4 ,in his ,rambles in the ,far ,north1 ,mr4 ,r4 ,m4 ,fergusson tells of another wind-compelling personage1 named ,mammie ,scott1 who also belonged to ,stromness1 and practised her arts there1 till within a comparatively recent date4 ,many wonderful tales are told of her power and influence over the weather4 ,her fame was widely spread as that of ,bessie4 ,a captain called upon ,mammie one day to solicit a fair wind4 ,he was bound for ,stornoway1 and received from the reputed witch a scarlet thread upon which were three knots4 ,his instructions were1 that if sufficient wind did not arrive1 one of the knots was to be untied2 if that proved insufficient1 another knot was to be untied2 but he was on no account to unloose the third knot1 else disaster would overtake his vessel4 ,the mariner set out upon his voyage1 and1 the wind being light1 untied the first knot4 ,this brought a stronger breeze1 but still not sufficient to satisfy him4 ,the second knot was let down1 and away the vessel sped across the waters1 round ,cape ,wrath4 ,in a short time the entrance to ,stornoway harbour was reached1 when it came into the captain's head to untie the third knot in order to see what might occur4 ,he was too near the end of his voyage to suffer any damage now2 and so he felt emboldened to make the experiment4 ,no sooner was the last knot set free than a perfect hurricane set in from a contrary direction1 which drove the vessel right back to ,hoy ,sound1 from which she had set out1 where he had ample time to repent of his folly4 ,within the last half-century there lived in ,stonehaven an old woman1 who was regarded with considerable awe by the sea-faring population4 ,before a voyage it was usual to propitiate her by the gift of a bag of coals4 ,on one occasion1 two brothers1 owners of a coasting smack1 after setting sail1 had to return to port through stress of weather1 the storm being due1 it was believed1 to the fact that one of the brothers had omitted to secure the woman's good offices in the usual way4 ,the brother who was captain of the smack seems to have been a firm believer in wind-charms1 for it is related of him that during a more than usually high wind he was in the habit of throwing up his cap into the air with the exclamation1 ,she maun hae something4 ,she1 in this case1 was the wind1 and not the witch3 and the cap was meant as a gift to propitiate the storm4 ,dr4 ,charles ,rogers1 in his ,social ,life in ,scotland1 tells us that the seamen of ,shetland1 in tempestuous weather1 throw a piece of money into the window of a ruinous chapel dedicated to ,st4 ,ronald in the belief that the saint will allay the vehemence of the storm4 ,according to the same writer1 ,shetland boatmen still purchase favourable winds from elderly women1 who pretend to rule or to modify the storms4 ,there are now in ,lerwick1 ,dr4 ,rogers continues1 several old women who in this fashion earn a subsistence4 ,many of the survivors of the great storm of the #bjth of ,july1 #ahha--so fatal on northern coasts--assert that their preservation was due to warnings which they received through a supernatural agency4 ,human skulls have their folklore4 ,the lifting of them from their usual resting-places has1 in popular belief1 been connected with certain mysterious occurrences4 ,according to a story told by ,mr4 ,wirt ,sikes1 in his ,british ,goblins1 a man who removed a skull from a church to prove to his companions that he was free from superstition was overtaken by a terrible whirlwind1 the result1 it was thought1 of his rash act4 ,in some ,highland districts it used to be reckoned unlucky to allow a corpse to remain unburied4 ,if from any cause1 human bones came to the surface1 care was taken to lay them below ground again1 as otherwise disastrous storms would ensue4 ,we have a good example of the association of wind-charms with water in the case of a certain magical stone referred to by ,martin as existing in his day in the island of ,fladda1 near ,skye4 ,there was a chapel to ,st4 ,columba on the island1 and on the altar lay the stone in question4 ,the stone was round1 of a blue colour1 and was always moist4 ,it is an ordinary custom1 ,martin relates1 when any of the fishermen are detained in the isle by contrary winds1 to wash the blue stone with water all round1 expecting thereby to procure a favourable wind1 which1 the credulous tenant1 living in the isle1 says never fails1 especially if a stranger wash the stone4 ,the power of the ,fladda stone was equalled by a certain well in ,gigha1 though in the latter instance a dweller in the island1 rather than a stranger1 had power over it4 ,when a foreign boat was wind-bound on the island1 the master of the craft was in the habit of giving some money to one of the natives1 to procure a favourable breeze4 ,this was done in the following way4 ,a few feet above the well was a heap of stones1 forming a cover to the spring4 ,these were carefully removed1 and the well was cleared out with a wooden dish or clam-shell4 ,the water was then thrown several times towards the point1 from which the needed wind should blow4 ,certain words of incantation were used1 each time the water was thrown4 ,after the ceremony1 the stones were replaced1 as the district would otherwise have been swept by a hurricane4 ,pennant mentions1 in connection with his visit to ,gigha1 that the superstition had then died out4 ,in this he was in error1 for the well continued to be occasionally consulted to a later date4 ,even within recent years1 the memory of the practice lingered in the island2 but there seemed some doubt1 as to the exact nature of the required ritual4 ,captain ,t4 ,p4 ,white was told by a shepherd1 belonging to the island1 that1 if a stone was taken out of the well1 a storm would arise and prevent any person crossing over1 nor would it abate till the stone was taken back to the well4 ,from the evidence of an ,irish example1 we find that springs could allay a storm1 as well as produce a favourable breeze4 ,the island of ,innismurray1 off the coast of ,sligo1 has a sacred well called ,tobernacoragh4 ,when a tempest was raging1 the natives believed that by draining the water of this well into the sea1 the wrath of the elements could be calmed4 ,mr4 ,gomme1 in his ,ethnology in ,folklore1 when commenting on the instance1 remarks1 ,in this case the connection between well-worship and the worship of a rain-god is certain1 for it may be surmised that if the emptying of the well allayed a storm1 some complementary action was practised at one time or other in order to produce rain1 and in districts more subject to a want of rain than this ,atlantic island1 that ceremony would be accentuated at the expense of the storm-allaying ceremony at ,innismurray4 ,the ,routing ,well1 at ,monktown1 in ,inveresk parish1 ,mid-,lothian1 was believed to give notice of an approaching storm by uttering sounds resembling the moaning of the wind4 ,as a matter of fact1 the noises came from certain disused coal-workings in the immediate neighbourhood1 and were due to the high wind blowing through them4 ,the sounds thus accompanied and did not precede the storm4 ,to procure rain1 recourse was had to various superstitious practices4 ,martin tells of a stone1 five feet high1 in the form of a cross1 opposite ,st4 ,mary's ,church1 in ,north ,uist4 ,the natives1 he says1 call it the ',water ,cross1' for the ancient inhabitants had a custom of erecting this sort of cross to procure rain1 and when they had got enough1 they laid it flat on the ground1 but this custom is now disused4 ,among the mountains of ,british ,columbia1 is a certain stone held in much honour by the ,indians1 for they believe that it will produce rain when struck4 ,rain-making is an important occupation among uncivilised races1 and strange rites are sometimes practised to bring about the desired result4 ,by some savages1 human hair is burned for this end4 ,mr4 ,j4 ,g4 ,frazer1 in ,the ,golden ,bough1 has some interesting remarks on rain-production4 ,after enumerating certain rain-charms among heathen nations1 he remarks1 ,another way of constraining the rain-god is to disturb him in his haunts4 ,this seems the reason why rain is supposed to be the consequence of troubling a sacred spring4 ,the ,dards believed that if a cowskin or anything impure is placed in certain springs storms will follow4 ,gervasius mentions a spring1 into which1 if a stone or a stick were thrown1 rain would at once issue from it and drench the thrower4 ,there was a fountain in ,munster such that if it were touched or even looked at by a human being it would at once flood the whole province with rain4 ,curious survivals of ancient rain-charms are to be found in modern folk-customs4 ,thus1 in connection with the rejoicings of the harvest-home in ,england1 when the last load of grain was being carried on the gaily decorated hock-cart to the farm-yard1 it was customary to throw water on those taking part in the ceremony4 ,this apparently meaningless frolic was in reality a rain-charm4 ,a ,cornish custom1 at one time popular at ,padstow on the first of ,may1 can be explained on the same principle4 ,a hobby-horse was taken to the ,traitor's ,pool1 a quarter of a mile from the town4 ,the head was dipped in the pool1 and water was sprinkled on the bystanders4 ,such charms depend for their efficacy on what is called sympathetic magic4 ,mimic rain is produced on the earth1 in the hope that the same liquid will be constrained to descend from the heavens1 to bring fresh fertility to the fields4 ,professor ,rhys1 in his ,celtic ,heathendom1 traces the connection between modern rain-charms and the rites of ancient paganism4 ,he there quotes the following particulars regarding ,dulyn1 in ,north ,wales1 from a description of the place published in #ahje3--,there lies in ,snowdon ,mountain a lake called ,dulyn1 in a dismal dingle surrounded by high and dangerous rocks2 the lake is exceedingly black1 and its fish are loathsome1 having large heads and small bodies4 ,no wild swan or duck or any kind of bird has ever been seen to light on it1 as is their wont on every other ,snowdonian lake4 ,in this same lake there is a row of stepping stones extending into it2 and if any one steps on the stones and throws water so as to wet the furthest stone of the series1 which is called the ,red ,altar1 it is but a chance that you do not get rain before night1 even when it is hot weather4 ,the spot was1 probably in pre-,christian times1 the scene of sacrifices to some local deity4 ,judging from the dismal character of the neighbourhood1 we may safely infer that fear entered largely into the worship paid there to the genius loci4 ,the ,fountain of ,barenton1 in ,brittany1 was specially celebrated in connection with rain-making4 ,during the early middle ages1 the peasantry of the neighbourhood resorted to it in days of drought4 ,according to a time-honoured custom1 they took some water from the fountain and threw it on a slab hard by2 rain was the result4 ,professor ,rhys reminds us that this fountain still retains its pluvial importance2 for1 in seasons of drought1 the inhabitants of the surrounding parishes1 we are told go to it in procession1 headed by their five great banners and their priests ringing bells and chanting psalms4 ,on arriving1 the rector of the canton dips the foot of the cross in the water1 and it is sure to rain within a week's time4 ,the ,barenton instance is specially interesting1 for part of the ceremony recalls what happened in connection with a certain ,scottish spring1 viz41 ,tobar ,faolan at ,struan1 in ,athole4 ,this spring1 as the name implies1 was dedicated to ,fillan4 ,in his ,holiday ,notes in ,athole1 in the ,proceedings of the ,society of ,antiquaries of ,scotland1 volume xii4 7new series71 ,mr4 ,j4 ,mackintosh ,gow says1 ,it is nearly one hundred yards west from the church1 at the foot of the bank1 and close to the river ,garry4 ,it is overgrown with grass and weeds1 but the water is as clear and cool as it may have been in the days of the saint4 ,there is no tradition of its having been a curing or healing well1 except that in pre-,reformation days1 when a drought prevailed and rain was much wanted1 an image of the saint1 which was kept in the church1 used to be taken in procession to the well1 and1 in order that rain might come1 the feet of the image were placed in the water2 and this1 of course1 was generally supposed to have the desired effect4 ,at ,botriphnie1 in ,banffshire1 six miles from ,keith1 the wooden image of ,st4 ,fumac used to be solemnly washed in his well on the third of ,may4 ,we may conclude that the ceremony was intended as a rain-charm4 ,it must have been successful1 on at least one occasion1 for the river ,isla became flooded through the abundance of rain4 ,indeed1 the flooding was so great that the saint's image was swept away by the rushing water4 ,the image was finally stranded at ,banff1 where it was burned as a relic of superstition by order of the parish minister about the beginning of the present century4 ,in ,glentham ,church1 ,lincolnshire1 is a tomb1 with a figure locally called ,molly ,grime4 ,from ,old ,english ,customs and ,charities1 we learn that1 till #ahcb1 the figure was washed every ,good ,friday with water from ,newell ,well by seven old maids of ,glentham1 who each received a shilling1 in consequence of an old bequest connected with some property in that district4 ,perhaps its testator was not free from a belief in the efficacy of rain-charms4 ,otherwise1 the ceremony seems meaningless4 ,if the keeping clean of the figure was the only object1 the seven old maids should not have limited their duties to an annual pilgrimage from the well to the church4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,trees ,,and ,,springs4 ,tree-worship--,ygdrasil--,personality of ,plants--,tree-ancestors-- ,wassailing--,relics of ,tree-worship--,connla's ,well--,cutting down ,trees ,unlucky--,spring at ,monzie--,marriage ,well--,pear-,tree ,well --,some ,miraculous ,trees--,external ,soul--,its ,connection with ,trees1 c4--,arms of ,glasgow4 ,trees were at one time worshipped as well as fountains4 ,ygdrasil1 the world-tree of ,scandinavian mythology1 had three roots1 and underneath each1 was a fountain of wonderful virtues4 ,this represents the connection between tree and well in the domain of mythology4 ,but the same superstition was connected with ordinary trees and wells4 ,glancing back over the history of civilisation1 we reach a period1 when vegetation was endowed with personality4 ,as plants manifested the phenomena of life and death like man and the lower animals1 they had a similar kind of existence attributed to them4 ,among some savages to-day1 the fragrance of a flower is thought to be its soul4 ,as there was thus no hard and fast line between man and the vegetable kingdom1 the one could be derived from the other2 in other words1 men could have trees as their ancestors4 ,curious survivals of such a belief lie both revealed and concealed in the language of to-day4 ,though we are far separated from such a phase of archaic religion1 we speak of the branches of a family4 ,at one time such an expression represented a literal fact1 and not a mere metaphor4 ,in like manner1 we call a son1 who resembles his father1 a chip of the old block4 ,but how few when using the phrase are alive to its real force6 ,mr4 ,keary1 in his ,outlines of ,primitive ,belief1 observes1 ,even when the literal notion of the descent from a tree had been lost sight of1 the close connection between the prosperity of the tribe and the life of its fetish was often strictly held4 ,the village tree of the ,german races was originally a tribal tree with whose existence the life of the village was involved4 ,the picturesque ceremony known as the ,wassailing of ,apple-trees1 kept up till lately in ,devon and ,cornwall1 carries our thoughts back to the time when tree-worship was a thriving cult in our land4 ,it was celebrated on the evening before ,epiphany 7,january #fth74 ,the farmer1 accompanied by his labourers1 carried a pail of cider with roasted apples in it into the orchard4 ,the pail was placed on the ground1 and each one of the company took from it a cupful of the liquid4 ,they then stood before the trees and repeated the following lines3-- ,health to thee1 good apple tree1 ,well to bear pocket-fulls1 hat-fulls1 ,peck-fulls1 bushel bag-fulls4 ,part of the contents of the cup was then drunk1 and the remainder was thrown at the tree amid shouts from the by-standers4 ,relics of the same cult can be traced in the superstitious regard for such trees as the rowan1 the elder1 c41 and in the decoration of the ,may-pole and the ,christmas ,tree4 ,according to an ancient ,irish legend1 a certain spring in ,erin1 called ,connla's ,well1 had growing over it nine mystical hazel trees4 ,year by year these trees produced their flowers and fruit simultaneously4 ,the nuts were of a brilliant crimson colour and contained in some mysterious way the knowledge of all that was best in poetry and art4 ,professor ,o',curry1 in his ,lectures on the ,manners and ,customs of the ,ancient ,irish1 refers to this legend1 and says1 ,no sooner were the beautiful nuts produced on the trees than they always dropped into the well1 raising by their fall a succession of shining red bubbles4 ,now1 during this time the water was always full of salmon1 and no sooner did the bubbles appear than these salmon darted to the surface and ate the nuts1 after which they made their way to the river4 ,the eating of the nuts produced brilliant crimson spots on the bellies of these salmon1 and to catch and eat these salmon became an object of more than mere gastronomic interest among those who were anxious to become distinguished in the arts and in literature without being at the pains and delay of long study1 for the fish was supposed to have become filled with the knowledge which was contained in the nuts1 which1 it was believed1 would be transferred in full to those who had the good fortune to catch and eat them4 ,in many cases it was counted unlucky to cut down trees1 since the spirits1 inhabiting them1 would resent the injury4 ,in the sixteenth century the parishioners of ,clynnog1 in ,caernarvonshire1 refrained from destroying the trees growing in the grounds of ,st4 ,beyno4 ,even though he was their patron saint1 he was quite ready to harm anybody who took liberties with his grove4 ,loch ,siant ,well1 in ,skye1 was noted for its power to cure headaches1 stitches1 and other ailments1 and was much frequented in consequence4 ,martin says1 ,there is a small coppice near to the well1 and there is none of the natives dare venture to cut the least branch of it for fear of some signal judgment to follow upon it4 ,martin also tells us that the same reverence was for long paid to the peat on the island of ,lingay4 ,this island1 he says1 is singular in respect of all the lands of ,uist1 and the other islands that surround it1 for they are all composed of sand1 and this1 on the contrary1 is altogether moss covered with heath1 affording five peats in depth1 and is very serviceable and useful1 furnishing the island ,borera1 c41 with plenty of good fuel4 ,this island was held as consecrated for several ages1 insomuch that the natives would not then presume to cut any fuel in it4 ,when trees beside wells had rags hung on them as offerings1 they would naturally be reverenced1 as the living altars for the reception of the gifts4 ,but even when not used for this purpose1 they were sometimes thought to have a mysterious connection with the springs they overshadowed4 ,in the parish of ,monzie1 ,perthshire1 is a mineral well held in much esteem till about the year #aggj4 ,at that time two trees1 till then the guardians of the spring1 fell1 and with their fall its virtue departed4 ,on the right bank of the ,clyde1 about three-quarters of a mile from ,carmyle village1 is the once sylvan district of ,kenmuir4 ,there1 at the foot of a bank1 is a spring locally known as ,the ,marriage ,well1 the name being derived1 it is said1 from two curiously united trees beside its margin4 ,these trees were recently cut down4 ,in former times1 it was customary for marriage parties1 the day after their wedding1 to visit the spring1 and there pledge the bride and bridegroom in draughts of its sparkling water4 ,on the banks of the ,kelvin1 close to the ,glasgow ,botanic ,gardens1 once flowed a spring styled the ,pear-,tree1 ,pea-,tree1 or ,three-,tree ,well1 the last name being probably the original one4 ,in former times it was a recognised trysting-place for lovers4 ,a tragic story is told in connection with it by ,mr4 ,james ,napier in his ,notes and ,reminiscences of ,partick4 ,a maiden1 named ,catherine ,clark1 arranged to meet her lover there by night1 nor did she ever dream ,but that he was what he did ever seem4 ,she never returned to her home4 ,a few days after1 remarks ,mr4 ,napier1 her body was found buried near a large tree which stood within a few yards of the ,pea-,tree ,well4 ,this tree was afterwards known as ',catherine ,clark's ,tree1' and remained for many years an object of interest to the visitors to this far-famed well1 and many a sympathising lover carved his name in rude letters on its bark4 ,but the tree was also an object of terror to those who had to pass it in dark and lonely nights1 and many tales were told of people who had seen a young female form dressed in white1 and stained with blood1 standing at the tree foot4 ,the tree was removed many years ago4 ,the spring too is gone1 the recent extension of the ,caledonian ,railway to ,maryhill having forced it to quit the field4 ,near the moat of ,listerling1 in county ,kilkenny1 ,ireland1 is a holy well dedicated to ,st4 ,mullen1 who is said to have lived for a while in its neighbourhood4 ,a fine hawthorn1 overshadowing it1 grew--if we can believe a local legend--from the staff of the saint1 which he there stuck into the ground4 ,this reminds one of the famous ,glastonbury ,thorn1 produced from the staff of ,joseph of ,arimathea1 who fixed it in the ground one ,christmas ,day4 ,the staff took root at once1 put forth branches1 and next day was covered with milk-white blossoms4 ,st4 ,servanus's staff1 too1 had a miraculous ending4 ,he threw it across the ,firth of ,forth1 and when it fell on the ,fife coast1 it took root and became an apple-tree4 ,a group of thorn-bushes1 near ,aghaboe1 in ,queen's ,county1 ,ireland1 was dedicated to ,st4 ,canice4 ,the spring1 overshadowed by them1 was much resorted to for the purposes of devotion4 ,at ,rearymore1 in the same county1 some hawthorns1 growing beside ,st4 ,finyan's spring1 were1 and doubtless still are1 religiously preserved by the natives4 ,in the ,isle of ,man is ,chibber ,unjin1 signifying ,the ,well of the ,ash4 ,beside it grew an ash tree1 formerly decorated with votive offerings4 ,what has been called the external soul has an important place in folklore1 and forms the theme of many folk-tales4 ,primitive man does not think of the soul as spiritual1 but as material--as something that can be seen and felt4 ,it can take different shapes4 ,it can leave the body during sleep1 and wander about in the guise of an animal1 such as a mouse4 ,considerable space is devoted to this problem in ,mr4 ,j4 ,g4 ,frazer's ,golden ,bough4 ,mr4 ,frazer there remarks1 ,there may be circumstances in which1 if the life or soul remains in the man1 it stands a greater chance of sustaining injury than if it were stowed away in some safe and secret place4 ,accordingly1 in such circumstances1 primitive man takes his soul out of his body and deposits it for security in some safe place1 intending to replace it in his body when the danger is past2 or1 if he should discover some place of absolute security1 he may be content to leave his soul there permanently4 ,the advantage of this is1 that so long as the soul remains unharmed in the place where he has deposited it1 the man himself is immortal2 nothing can kill his body1 since his life is not in it4 ,sometimes the soul is believed to be stowed away in a tree1 injury to the latter involving disaster to the former4 ,the custom of planting trees1 and calling them after certain persons may nowadays have nothing to do with this notion2 but1 undoubtedly1 a real connection was at one time believed to exist between the partners in the transaction4 ,a certain oak1 with mistletoe growing on it1 was mysteriously associated with the family of ,hay4 ,the superstition is explained in the following lines3-- ,while the mistletoe bats on ,errol's oak ,and that oak stands fast1 ,the ,hays shall flourish1 and their good grey hawk ,shall not flinch before the blast4 ,but when the root of the oak decays ,and the mistletoe dwines on its withered breast1 ,the grass shall grow on the ,earl's hearthstone1 ,and the corbies craw in the falcon's nest4 ,at ,finlarig ,castle1 near ,killin1 in ,perthshire1 are several trees1 believed to be linked with the lives of certain individuals1 connected by family ties with the ruined fortress4 ,aubrey gives an example of this superstition1 as it existed in ,england in the seventeenth century4 ,he says1 ,i cannot omit taking notice of the great misfortune in the family of the ,earl of ,winchelsea1 who1 at ,eastwell1 in ,kent1 felled down a most curious grove of oaks near his own noble seat1 and gave the first blow with his own hands4 ,shortly after1 the countess died in her bed suddenly1 and his eldest son1 the ,lord ,maidstone1 was killed at sea by a cannon bullet4 ,in the grounds of ,dalhousie ,castle1 about two miles from ,dalkeith1 on the edge of a fine spring is the famous ,edgewell ,oak4 ,sir ,walter ,scott1 in his ,journal1 under date ,may #acth1 #ahbi1 writes1 ,went with the girls to dine at ,dalhousie ,castle1 where we were very kindly received4 ,i saw the ,edgewell ,tree1 too fatal1 says ,allan ,ramsay1 to the family from which he was himself descended4 ,according to a belief in the district1 a branch fell from this tree1 before the death of a member of the family4 ,the original oak fell early in last century1 but a new one sprang from the old root4 ,an editorial note to the above entry in the ,journal gives the following information3--,the tree is still flourishing 7#ahhi71 and the belief in its sympathy with the family is not yet extinct1 as an old forester1 on seeing a branch fall from it on a quiet still day in ,july1 #ahgd1 exclaimed1 ',the laird's deed1 noo6' and1 accordingly1 news came soon after that ,fox ,maule1 eleventh ,earl of ,dalhousie1 had died4 ,the external soul was sometimes associated with objects other than living trees4 ,dr4 ,charles ,rogers tells us that a pear1 supposed to have been enchanted by ,hugh ,gifford1 ,lord of ,yester1 a notable magician in the reign of ,alexander ,,iii41 is preserved in the family of ,brown of ,colston1 as heirs of ,gifford's estate4 ,the prosperity of the family is believed to be linked with the preservation of the pear4 ,even an inanimate object would serve the purpose4 ,the glass drinking-cup1 known as the ,luck of ,edenhall1 is connected with the fortunes of the ,musgrave family1 and great care is taken to preserve it from injury4 ,tradition says that a company of fairies were making merry beside a spring near the mansion-house1 but that1 being frightened by some intruder1 they vanished1 leaving the cup in question1 while one of them exclaimed3-- ,if this cup should break or fall1 ,farewell the luck of ,edenhall4 ,some living object1 however1 either vegetable or animal1 was the usual repository of the external soul4 ,a familiar folk-tale tells of a giant whose heart was in a swan1 and who could not be killed while the swan lived4 ,hunting was a favourite occupation among the inhabitants of the ,western ,isles2 but on the mountain ,finchra1 in ,rum1 no deer was killed by any member of the ,lachlan family1 as it was believed that the life of that family was in some way linked with the life of these animals4 ,a curious superstition is mentioned by ,camden in his ,britannia4 ,in a pond near the ,abbey of ,st4 ,maurice1 in ,burgundy1 were put as many fish as there were monks4 ,when any monk was taken ill1 one of the fish was seen to float half-dead on the surface of the pond4 ,if the fish died the monk died too1 the death of the former giving warning of the fate of the latter4 ,in this case the external soul was thought of as stowed away in a fish4 ,as is well known1 the ,arms of the ,city of ,glasgow are a bell1 a tree1 a fish with a ring in its mouth1 and a bird4 ,the popular explanation of these emblems connects them with certain miracles1 wrought by ,kentigern1 the patron saint of the burgh4 ,may we not hold that an explanation of their symbolism is to be sought in a principle1 that formed an article in the beliefs of men1 long before ,kentigern was born1 as well as during his time and since8 ,the bell1 it is true1 had1 doubtless1 an ecclesiastical association2 but the other three symbols point1 perhaps1 to some superstitious notion like the above4 ,in various folk-tales1 as well as in ,christian art1 the soul is sometimes typified by a bird4 ,as we have just seen1 it has been associated with trees and fish4 ,we are entitled therefore to ask whether the three symbols may not express one and the same idea under different forms4 ,it is1 of course1 open to anyone to say that there were fish in the river1 on whose banks ,kentigern took up his abode1 and quite a forest with birds singing in it around his cell1 and that no further explanation of the symbolism need be sought4 ,all these1 it is true1 existed within the saint's environment1 but may they not have been regarded as types of the soul under the guise of objects familiar to all1 and afterwards grouped together in the burgh ,arms8 ,on this hypothesis1 the symbols have survived the belief that gave them birth1 and serve to connect the practical life of to-day1 with the vague visions and crude conjectures of the past4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,charm-,,stones ,,in ,,and ,,out ,,of ,,water4 ,stone-worship--,mysterious ,properties of ,stones--,symbolism of ,gems --,gnostics--,abraxas ,gems--,gems in ,sarcophagi--,life-stones--,use of ,amulets in ,scotland--,yellow ,stone in ,mull--,baul ,muluy--,black ,stones of ,iona--,stone as ,medicine--,declan's ,stone--,curing-stones still used for ,cattle--,mary1 ,queen of ,scots--,amulet at ,abbotsford --,highland ,reticence--,aberfeldy ,curing-stone--,lapis ,ceranius and ,lapis ,hecticus--,bernera--,st4 ,ronan's ,altar--,blue ,stone in ,fladda --,baul ,muluy again--,columba's ,white ,stone--,loch ,manaar--,well near ,loch ,torridon--,stones besides ,springs--,healing-stones at ,killin-- ,their connection with ,fillan--,mornish--,altars and ,crosses--,iona-- ,clach-a-brath--,cross at ,kilberry--,lunar ,stone in ,harris-- ,perforated ,stones--,ivory--,barbeck's ,bone--,adder-beads--,sprinkling ,cattle--,elf-bolts--,clach-na-,bratach- -,clach ,dearg--,lee ,penny-- ,lockerbie ,penny--,black ,penny4 ,we have already seen that in early times water was an object of worship4 ,stones also were reverenced as the embodiments of nature-deities4 ,in ,western ,europe during the middle ages1 remarks ,sir ,j4 ,lubbock in his ,origin of ,civilisation1 we meet with several denunciations of stone-worship1 proving its deep hold on the people4 ,thus the worship of stones was condemned by ,theodoric1 ,archbishop of ,canterbury1 in the seventh century1 and is among the acts of heathenism forbidden by ,king ,edgar in the tenth1 and by ,cnut in the eleventh century4 ,even as late as the seventeenth century1 the ,presbytery of ,dingwall sought to suppress1 among other practices of heathen origin1 that of rendering reverence to stones1 the stones in question having been consulted as to future events4 ,it is not surprising therefore that stones had certain mysterious properties ascribed to them4 ,in all ages precious stones have been deservedly admired for their beauty1 but1 in addition1 they have frequently been esteemed for their occult qualities4 ,in my youth1 ,mr4 ,james ,napier tells us1 in his ,folklore in the ,west of ,scotland1 there was a belief in the virtue of precious stones1 which added a value to them beyond their real value as ornaments4444 ,each stone had its own symbolic meaning and its own peculiar influence for imparting good and protecting from evil and from sickness its fortunate possessor4 ,by the ancient ,jews1 the topaz and the amethyst were believed to guard their wearers respectively against poison and drunkenness2 while the diamond was prized as a protection against ,satanic influence4 ,concerning the last-mentioned gem1 ,sir ,john ,mandeville1 writing about #acef1 says1 ,it makes a man stronger and firmer against his enemies1 heals him that is lunatic1 and those whom the fiend pursues and torments4 ,by certain sects of the ,gnostics1 precious stones were much thought of as talismans4 ,among the sect founded by ,basilides of ,egypt1 the famous ,abraxas gems were used as tokens by the initiated4 ,the ,gnostics also placed gems inscribed with mystic mottoes in sarcophagi1 to remind the dead of certain prayers that were thought likely to aid them in the other world4 ,in ,scandinavia1 warriors were in the habit of carrying about with them amulets called life-stones or victory-stones4 ,these strengthened the hand of the wearer in fight4 ,in our own country1 the use of amulets was not uncommon4 ,a flat oval-shaped pebble1 measuring two and a half inches in greatest diameter1 was presented in #ahfd to the ,society of ,antiquaries of ,scotland4 ,it had been worn as a charm by a ,forfarshire farmer1 who died in #ahed at the age of eighty-four4 ,when in use1 it had been kept in a small bag and suspended by a red string round the wearer's neck4 ,even when stones were not used as amulets1 they were sometimes held in superstitious regard4 ,when in ,mull1 ,martin was told of a yellow stone1 lying at the bottom of a certain spring in the island1 its peculiarity being that it did not get hot1 though kept over the fire for a whole day4 ,the same writer alludes to a certain stone in ,arran1 called ,baul ,muluy1 i4e41 ,molingus1 his ,stone ,globe4 ,it was green in colour1 and was about the size of a goose's egg4 ,the stone was used by the islanders1 when great oaths had to be sworn4 ,it was also employed to disperse an enemy4 ,when thrown among the front ranks1 the opposing army would retreat in confusion4 ,in this way the ,macdonalds were said to have gained many a victory4 ,when not in use1 the ,baul ,muluy was carefully kept wrapped up in cloth4 ,among oath-stones1 the black stones of ,iona were specially famous4 ,these were situated to the west of ,st4 ,martin's ,cross1 and were called black1 not from their colour--for they were grey--but from the effects of perjury in the event of a false oath being sworn by them4 ,macdonald1 ,lord of the ,isles1 knelt on them1 and1 with uplifted hands1 swore that he would never recall the rights granted by him to his vassals4 ,such a hold had these oath-stones taken on the popular imagination1 that when anyone expressed himself certain about a particular thing1 he gave weight to his affirmation1 by saying that he was prepared to swear upon the black stones4 ,bishop ,pocoke mentions that the inhabitants of ,iona were in the habit of breaking off pieces from a certain stone lying in the church1 to be used as medicine for man or beast in most disorders1 and especially the flux4 ,charm-stones were sometimes associated with early saints4 ,the following particulars about ,st4 ,declan's ,stone are given by ,sir ,arthur ,mitchell in the tenth volume of the ,proceedings of the ,society of ,antiquaries of ,scotland3--,we are told in the life of ,st4 ,declan that a small stone was sent to him from ,heaven while he was saying ,mass in a church in ,italy4 ,it came through the window and rested on the altar4 ,it was called ,duivhin ,deaglain or ,duivh-mhion ,deaglain1 i4e41 ',declan's ,black ,relic4' ,it performed many miracles during his life1 being famous for curing sore eyes1 headaches1 c42 and is said to have been found in his grave sometime1 ,i think1 during last century4 ,its size is two and a-fourth by one and three-fourth inches1 and on one side there is a ,latin cross1 incised and looped at the top4 ,at the bottom of the stem of this cross there is another small ,latin cross4 ,on the other side of the stone there is a circle1 one and a-fourth inch in diameter1 and six holes or pits4 ,curing stones are still used occasionally in connection with the diseases of cattle1 particularly in ,highland districts2 but they have ceased to do duty in the treatment of human ailments4 ,mary ,queen of ,scots seems to have been a firm believer in their efficacy4 ,in a letter to her brother-in-law1 ,henry the ,third of ,france1 written on the eve of her execution1 the ,queen says1 ,she ventures to send him two rare stones1 valuable for the health1 which she hopes will be good1 with a happy and long life1 asking him to receive them as the gift of his very affectionate sister-in law1 who is at the point of death1 and in token of true love towards him4 ,in a case of curiosities at ,abbotsford1 there is an amulet that belonged to ,sir ,walter ,scott's mother4 ,it somewhat resembles crocodile skin in colour1 and has a setting of silver4 ,the amulet was believed to prevent children from being bewitched4 ,it is nowadays difficult to ascertain the whereabouts of curing-stones in the ,highlands1 owing to the reticence of those who still have faith in their virtues4 ,till lately there was one in the neighbourhood of ,aberfeldy that had been in use1 it is believed1 for about three hundred years4 ,in shape1 the charm somewhat resembled a human heart1 and consisted of a water-worn pebble fully three inches in greatest length4 ,when required for the cure of cattle1 it was rubbed over the affected part or was dipped in water1 the water being then given to the animal to drink4 ,recently the family who owned it became extinct1 and the charm passed into other hands4 ,martin gives some curious information with regard to the employment of charm-stones1 among the inhabitants of the ,western ,isles4 ,after describing a certain kind of stone1 called lapis ceranius1 found in the island of ,skye1 he remarks1 ,these stones are by the natives called ',cramp-stones1' because 7as they say7 they cure the cramp in cows by washing the part affected with water in which this stone had been steeped for some hours4 ,he mentions also1 that in the same island1 the stone called lapis hecticus was deemed efficacious in curing consumption and other diseases4 ,it was made red-hot1 and then cooled in milk or water1 the liquid being drunk by the patient4 ,on ,bernera1 the islanders frequently rub their breasts with a particular stone1 by way of prevention1 and say it is a good preservative for health4 ,martin adds1 ,this is all the medicine they use3 ,providence is very favourable to them in granting them a good state of health1 since they have no physician among them4 ,in connection with his visit to the island of ,rona1 the same writer observes1 ,there is a chapel here dedicated to ,st4 ,ronan1 fenced with a stone wall round2 and they take care to keep it neat and clean1 and sweep it every day4 ,there is an altar in it1 on which there lies a big plank of wood1 about ten feet in length2 every foot has a hole in it1 and in every hole a stone1 to which the natives ascribe several virtues3 one of them is singular1 as they say1 for promoting speedy delivery to a woman in travail4 ,the blue stone in ,fladda1 already referred to in connection with wind-charms1 did duty as an oath-stone1 and likewise as a curing-stone1 its special function being to remove stitches in the side4 ,the ,baul ,muluy in ,arran1 alluded to above1 also cured stitches in the side4 ,when the patient would not recover1 the stone withdrew from the bed of its own accord4 ,a certain white stone1 taken by ,columba from the river ,ness1 near what is now the town of ,inverness1 had the singular power of becoming invisible1 when the illness of the person requiring it would prove fatal4 ,the selection of this stone was made in connection with the saint's visit to the court of ,brude1 king of the ,picts1 about the year #efc4 ,adamnan1 who tells the story1 thus describes an interview between ,columba and ,brochan 7the king's chief ,druid or ,magus71 concerning the liberation of a female slave belonging to the latter3 ,the venerable man1 from motives of humanity1 besought ,brochan the ,druid to liberate a certain ,irish female captive1 a request which ,brochan harshly and obstinately refused to grant4 ,the saint then spoke to him as follows3--',know1 ,o ,brochan1 know1 that if you refuse to set this captive free1 as ,i advise you1 you shall die before ,i return from this province4' ,having said this in presence of ,brude the king1 he departed from the royal palace1 and proceeded to the river ,nesa1 from which he took a white pebble1 and1 showing it to his companions1 said to them3--',behold this white pebble1 by which ,god will effect the cure of many diseases4' ,having thus spoken1 he added1 ',brochan is punished grievously at this moment1 for an angel sent from heaven1 striking him severely1 has broken in pieces the glass cup which he held in his hands1 and from which he was in the act of drinking1 and he himself is left half-dead4' ,messengers were sent by the king to announce the illness of ,brochan1 and to ask ,columba to cure him4 ,adamnan continues3--,having heard these words of the messengers1 ,saint ,columba sent two of his companions to the king with the pebble which he had blessed1 and said to them3--',if ,brochan shall first promise to free his captive1 immerse this little stone in water1 and let him drink from it2 but if he refuse to liberate her1 he will that instant die4' ,the two persons sent by the saint proceeded to the palace1 and announced the words of the holy man to the king and to ,brochan1 an announcement which filled them with such fear that he immediately liberated the captive and delivered her to the saint's messengers4 ,the stone was then immersed in water1 and1 in a wonderful manner and contrary to the laws of nature1 it floated on the water like a nut or an apple1 nor could it be submerged4 ,brochan drank from the stone as it floated on the water1 and instantly recovered his perfect health and soundness of body4 ,the wonderful pebble was kept by ,king ,brude among his treasures4 ,on the day of the king's death1 it remained true to itself1 for1 when its aid was sought1 it could nowhere be found4 ,according to a tradition current in ,sutherland1 ,loch ,manaar in ,strathnaver was connected with another white pebble1 endowed with miraculous properties4 ,the tradition1 as narrated by the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,gregor in the ,folklore ,journal for #ahhh1 is as follows3--,once upon a time1 in ,strathnaver1 there lived a woman who was both poor and old4 ,she was able to do many wonderful things by the power of a white stone which she possessed1 and which had come to her by inheritance4 ,one of the ,gordons of ,strathnaver having a thing to do1 wished to have both her white stone and the power of it4 ,when he saw that she would not lend it1 or give it up1 he determined to seize her1 and to drown her in a loch4 ,the man and the woman struggled there for a long time1 till he took up a heavy stone with which to kill her4 ,she plunged into the lake1 throwing her magic stone before her and crying1 ',may it do good to all created things save a ,gordon of ,strathnaver6' ,he stoned her to death in the water1 she crying1 ',manaar6 ,manaar6' 7,shame6 ,shame674 ,and the loch is called the ,loch of ,shame to this day4 ,the loch had a more than local fame1 for invalids resorted to it from ,orkney in the north and ,inverness in the south3 its water was deemed specially efficacious on the first ,monday of ,february1 ,may1 ,august1 and ,november1 7,o4 ,s474 ,the second and third of these dates were the most popular4 ,the patient was kept bound and half-starved for about a day previous1 and immediately after sunset on the appointed day1 he was taken into the middle of the loch and there dipped4 ,his wet clothes were then exchanged for dry ones1 and his friends took him home in the full expectation of a cure4 ,belief in the loch's powers was acknowledged till recently1 and is probably still secretly cherished in the district4 ,in a graveyard beside ,loch ,torridon1 in ,ross-shire1 is a spring1 formerly believed to work cures4 ,from time immemorial three stones have been whirling in the well1 and it was usual to carry one of these in a bucket of water to the invalid who simply touched the stone4 ,when put back into the well1 the stone began to move round and round as before4 ,on one occasion a woman sought to cure her sick goat in the usual way1 but the pebble evidently did not care to minister to any creature lower than man1 for when replaced in the well1 it lay motionless at the bottom ever afterwards4 ,a certain ,katherine ,craigie1 who was burned as a witch in ,orkney in #afdc1 used pebbles in connection with the magical cures wrought by her4 ,her method1 as described by ,dr4 ,rogers in his ,social ,life in ,scotland1 was as follows3--,into water wherewith she washed the patient she placed three small stones2 these1 being removed from the vessel1 were placed on three corners of the patient's house from morning till night1 when they were deposited at the principal entrance4 ,next morning the stones were cast into water with which the sick person was anointed4 ,the process was repeated every day till a cure was effected4 ,at some wells1 what the water lacked in the matter of efficacy was supplied by certain stones lying by their margins4 ,these stones1 in virtue of a real or fancied resemblance to parts of the human body--such as the eye or arm--were applied to the members corresponding to them in shape1 in the expectation that this would conduce to a cure4 ,at ,killin1 in ,perthshire1 there are several stones dedicated to ,fillan1 at one time much used in the way described4 ,these are1 however1 not beside a spring1 but in the mill referred to in a previous chapter4 ,they lie in a niche in the inner wall1 and have been there from an unknown past4 ,whenever a new mill was built to replace the old one1 a niche was made in the wall for their reception4 ,they are some seven or eight in number4 ,the largest of them weighs eight lbs4 ten oz4 ,special interest attaches to at least two of them1 on account of certain markings on one side1 consisting of shallow rounded hollows somewhat resembling the cup-marks which have proved such a puzzle to archologists4 ,there is reason to believe that the stones in question were at one time used in connection with milling operations1 the hollows being merely the sockets where the spindle of the upper millstone revolved4 ,on the saint's day 7the ninth of ,january71 it was customary till not very long ago1 for the villagers to assemble at the mill1 and place a layer of straw below the stones4 ,this custom has a particular interest1 for we find a counterpart to it in ,scandinavia1 both instances being clearly survivals of stone-worship4 ,in certain mountain districts of ,norway1 ,dr4 ,tylor tells us in his ,primitive ,culture1 up to the end of the last century1 the peasants used to preserve round stones1 washed them every ,thursday evening 7which seems to show that they represented ,thor71 smeared them with butter before the fire1 laid them on the seat of honour on fresh straw1 and at certain times of the year steeped them in ale1 that they might bring luck and comfort to the house4 ,the ritual here is more elaborate than in the case of the ,killin stones2 but the instances are parallel as regards the use of straw4 ,fully a couple of miles from ,killin1 below ,mornish1 close to ,loch ,tay1 is the lonely nettle-covered graveyard of ,cladh ,davi1 and on a tombstone in its enclosure lie two roundish stones1 believed to belong to the same series as those in the mill1 and marked with similar hollows4 ,these stones were thought to cure pectoral inflammation1 the hollows being filled with water1 and applied to the breasts4 ,the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,hugh ,mac,millan1 after describing the stones in the volume of the ,proceedings of the ,society of ,antiquaries of ,scotland for #ahhc-hd1 mentions that not long since1 a woman1 who was thus afflicted1 came a considerable distance1 from the head of ,glen ,lochay1 to make use of this remedy4 ,charm-stones were sometimes kept on the altars of ancient churches1 as in the case of ,st4 ,ronan's ,chapel1 and the church in ,iona already referred to4 ,at other times they were associated with crosses4 ,sir ,arthur ,mitchell tells of an ,irish curing-stone in shape like a dumb-bell1 preserved in ,killaghtee parish1 ,county ,donegal4 ,there is1 he says1 a fragment of a stone cross on the top of a small cairn4 ,in a cleft or hollow of this cross is kept a famous healing stone1 in whose virtues there is still a belief4 ,it is frequently removed to houses in which sickness exists1 but it is invariably brought back1 and those living near the cross can always tell where it is to be found1 if it has been so removed4 ,pennant1 in connection with his visit to ,iona1 speaks of certain stones lying in the pedestal of a cross to the north-west of ,st4 ,oran's ,chapel4 ,numbers who visit this island1 he remarks1 think it incumbent on them to turn each of these thrice round1 according to the course of the sun4 ,they are called ,clach-a-brath--for it is thought that the brath1 or 'end of the world1' will not arrive till the stone on which they stand is worn through4 ,pennant thought that these stones were the successors of three noble globes of white marble1 which1 according to ,sacheverel1 at one time lay in three stone basins1 and were turned round in the manner described1 but were afterwards thrown into the sea by the order of the ecclesiastical authorities4 ,mac,culloch says that1 in his day1 the superstition connected with the ,clach-a-brath had died out in ,iona4 ,we do not think that this was likely4 ,anyhow he mentions that the boys of the village still supply a stone for every visitor to turn round on its bed2 and thus1 in the wearing of this typical globe1 to contribute his share to the final dissolution of all things4 ,mac,culloch alludes to the same superstition as then existing on one of the ,garveloch ,isles4 ,sometimes hollows were made on the pedestals of crosses1 not for the reception of stone-balls1 but to supply occupation to persons undergoing penance4 ,a sculptured cross at ,kilberry1 in ,argyllshire1 has a cavity of this kind in its pedestal4 ,in connection with his visit to ,kilberry1 ,captain ,white was told that one of the prescribed acts of penance in connection with many of the ancient ,irish crosses required the individual under discipline1 while kneeling before the cross1 to scoop out a cavity in the pedestal1 pestle-and-mortar fashion2 and that such cavities1 where now to be seen1 show in this way1 varying stages of the process4 ,one of the wonders of ,harris1 when ,martin visited the island1 was a lunar stone lying in a hole in a rock4 ,like the tides1 it felt the moon's influence1 for it advanced and retired according to the increase or decrease of that luminary4 ,perforated stones were formerly much esteemed as amulets4 ,if a stone1 with a hole in it1 was tied to the key of a stable-door1 it would prevent the witches from stealing the horses4 ,pre-historic relics of this kind were much used to ward off malign influences from cattle1 or to cure diseases caused by the fairies4 ,ure1 in his ,history of ,rutherglen and ,kilbride1 refers to a ring of black schistus found in a cairn in the parish of ,inchinnan4 ,it was believed to work wonderful cures4 ,about a hundred years ago1 a flat reddish stone1 having notches and with two holes bored through it1 was presented to the ,society of ,antiquaries of ,scotland4 ,it came from ,islay1 and had been used there as a charm4 ,it belonged to the ,stone ,age1 and had1 doubtless1 served its first possessor as a personal ornament4 ,ivory had magical properties attributed to it4 ,the famous ,barbeck's ,bone--once the property of the ,campbells of ,barbeck1 in ,craignish parish1 ,argyllshire1 and now in the ,national ,museum of ,antiquities--is a piece of ivory seven inches long1 four broad1 and half an inch thick4 ,at one time it had a great reputation in the ,west ,highlands for the cure of insanity4 ,it was counted so valuable that1 when it was lent1 a deposit of one hundred pounds sterling had to be made4 ,the antiquarian objects1 popularly called adder-beads1 serpent stones1 or druidical beads1 were frequently used for the cure of cattle4 ,the beads were dipped in water1 and the liquid was then given to the animals to drink4 ,these relics of a long-forgotten past have been found from time to time in ancient places of sepulture1 and as they usually occur singly1 it has been conjectured that they were placed there as amulets4 ,many of them1 remarks ,sir ,daniel ,wilson in his ,pre-historic ,annals1 are exceedingly beautiful1 and are characterised by considerable ingenuity in the variations of style4 ,among those in the ,scottish ,museum there is one of red glass spotted with white2 another of dark brown glass streaked with yellow2 others of pale green and blue glass1 plain and ribbed2 and two of curiously figured patterns1 wrought with various colours interwoven on their surface4 ,a fine specimen of this species of amulet was discovered in a grave mound at ,eddertoun1 in ,ross-shire1 during the progress of the railway operations in #ahfd4 ,the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,joass1 who interested himself in the antiquarian discoveries then made1 thus describes the find3--,the glass1 of which this bead was composed1 was of a dark blue colour1 and but partially transparent4 ,it was ornamented by three volutes1 which sufficed to surround it4 ,these were traced in a yellow pigment 7or enamel7 as hard as the glass and seeming to sink slightly below the surface into the body of the bead1 as could be seen where this was flattened1 as if by grinding at the opposite ends of its orifice4 ,these adder-beads seem to have been common in the seventeenth century4 ,edward ,llwyd1 who visited ,scotland in #afii1 saw fifty different forms of them between ,wales and the ,scottish ,highlands4 ,crystal balls1 he tells us1 were frequently put into a tub of water on ,may ,day1 the contents of the tub being sprinkled over cattle to keep them from being bewitched4 ,flint arrow-heads--the weapons of early times--became the amulets of a later age4 ,in folklore they are known as elf-bolts4 ,popular credulity imagined that they were used by the fairies for the destruction of cattle4 ,when an animal was attacked by some sudden and mysterious disease1 it was believed to be elf-shot even though no wound could be seen on its body4 ,to cure the cow1 the usual method was to make it drink some water in which an elf-bolt had been dipped1 on the principle of taking a hair of the dog that bit you4 ,elf-arrows were at one time thought to be serviceable to man also4 ,the custom was not unknown of sewing one of them in some part of the dress as a charm against the influence of the evil eye4 ,occasionally one still sees them doing duty as brooches1 and in that form1 if not now prized as amulets1 they are esteemed as ornaments4 ,sir ,j4 ,y4 ,simpson1 in his ,archological ,essays1 gives some interesting particulars about two ancient charm-stones1 the property of two ,highland families for many generations4 ,of these1 the ,clach-na-,bratach1 or ,stone of the ,standard1 belongs to the head of the ,clan ,donnachie4 ,it is described as a transparent1 globular mass of rock crystal of the size of a small apple4 ,its surface has been artificially polished4 ,the stone was picked up by the then chief of the clan shortly before the battle of ,bannockburn4 ,it was found in a clod of earth adhering to the standard when drawn out of the ground1 and on account of its brilliancy the chief foretold a victory4 ,in later times it was used to predict the fortunes of the clan4 ,we are told that before the battle of ,sheriffmuir1 in #agae1 which proved so disastrous to the cause of the ,stuarts1 as well as to that of ,clan ,donnachie1 the ,clach-na-,bratach was found to have a flaw1 not seen till then4 ,when wanted to impart curative virtue to water1 the ,clach-na-,bratach was dipped in it thrice by the hand of the chief4 ,the other charm-stone alluded to is the ,clach ,dearg1 or ,stone of ,ardvoirlich4 ,it resembles the ,clach-na-,bratach in appearance1 though it is somewhat smaller in size4 ,it differs from it1 moreover1 in being surrounded by four silver bands of eastern workmanship4 ,the charm has belonged to the family of ,ardvoirlich from an unknown past1 but there is no tradition as to its early history4 ,as a healing agent it has had more than a local fame4 ,when its help was sought certain rules had to be attended to4 ,the person coming to ,ardvoirlich was required to draw the water himself1 and bring it into the house in the vessel in which the charm was to be dipped4 ,a bottle of this water was then carried to the invalid's home4 ,if the bearer called at any house by the way1 it was requisite that the bottle should be left outside1 otherwise the water would lose its power4 ,in the mansion-house of ,lee1 some three miles north of ,lanark1 is kept the ,lee ,penny1 an amulet of even greater fame than the ,clach-na-,bratach or the ,clach ,dearg4 ,this charm--the prototype of ,sir ,walter ,scott's ,talisman--is a semi-transparent gem of a dark red colour4 ,it is set in a silver coin1 believed to be a groat of ,edward the ,fourth4 ,in shape it rudely resembles a heart4 ,this circumstance doubtless strengthened the original belief in its magical powers1 if1 indeed1 it did not give rise to it4 ,the tradition is1 that ,sir ,simon ,lockhart1 an ancestor of the present owner of the estate1 left ,scotland along with ,sir ,james ,douglas1 in the year #accj1 to convey the heart of ,robert ,bruce to the ,holy ,land4 ,douglas was killed in ,spain in a battle with the ,moors1 and ,sir ,simon returned to ,scotland1 bringing the heart with him4 ,he had various adventures in connection with this mission4 ,one of these was the capture of a ,saracen prince1 who1 however1 obtained his freedom for a large sum4 ,while the money was being counted out the amulet in question accidentally fell into the heap of coin1 and was claimed as part of the ransom4 ,previous to its appearance in ,scotland it had been much esteemed as a cure for hemorrhage and fever4 ,after it was brought to our shores its fame increased rather than waned4 ,during the reign of ,charles the ,first it was taken to ,newcastle-on-,tyne to stay a pestilence raging there1 a bond for six thousand pounds being given as a guarantee of its safe return4 ,the amulet did its work so well1 that to ensure its retention in the town the bond would have been willingly forfeited4 ,it was reckoned of use in the treatment of almost any ailment1 but specially in cases of hydrophobia4 ,a cure effected by it at the beginning of last century is on record4 ,lady ,baird of ,saughton ,hall1 near ,edinburgh1 showed what were believed to be symptoms of rabies from the bite of a dog4 ,at her request the ,lee ,penny was sent to ,saughton ,hall4 ,she drank and bathed in water in which it had been dipped1 and restoration was the result4 ,the amulet was also used for the cure of cattle1 and when every other remedy failed recourse was had to the wonder-working gem4 ,when it was employed for therapeutic purposes1 the following was the modus operandi3--,it was drawn once round the vessel containing the water to be rendered medicinal1 and was then plunged thrice into the liquid2 but no words of incantation were used4 ,for this reason the ,reformed ,church1 when seeking to abolish certain practices of heathen origin1 sanctioned the continued use of the ,lee ,penny as a charm4 ,a complaint was made against the ,laird of ,lee anent the superstitious using of ane stane set in silver for the curing of diseased cattell4 ,the complaint came before the ,assembly which met in ,glasgow2 but the case was dismissed on the ground that the rite was performed wtout using onie words such as charmers and sorcerers use in their unlawfull practices2 and considering that in nature there are mony things seen to work strange effects1 q4r4 of no human wit can give a reason4 ,nevertheless the ,laird of ,lee was admonished in the useing of the said stane to tak heed that it be used hereafter w4t4 the least scandal that possiblie may be4 ,belief in the efficacy of the amulet continued to hold its ground in the neighbourhood of ,lee till towards the middle of the present century4 ,in #ahci phials of water which had felt its magical touch were to be seen hanging up in byres to protect the cattle from evil influences4 ,some fifteen years earlier a ,yorkshire farmer carried away water from ,lee to cure some of his cattle which had been bitten by a mad dog4 ,attached to the amulet is a small silver chain which facilitated its use when its services were required4 ,the charm is kept in a gold box1 presented by the ,empress ,maria ,theresa4 ,another south-country amulet1 not1 however1 so famous as the ,lee ,penny1 is the piece of silver1 known as the ,lockerbie ,penny4 ,it was1 and still is1 we suppose1 used to cure madness in cattle4 ,in his ,folklore of the ,northern ,counties1 ,mr4 ,henderson gives the following particulars about the charm3--,it is put in a cleft stick and a well is stirred round with it1 after which the water is bottled off and given to any animal so affected4 ,a few years ago1 in a ,northumbrian farm1 a dog bit an ass1 and the ass bit a cow2 the penny was sent for1 and a deposit of fifty pounds sterling actually left till it was restored4 ,the dog was shot1 the cuddy died1 but the cow was saved through the miraculous virtue of the charm4 ,after the death of the farmer who borrowed the ,penny1 several bottles of water were found stowed away in a cupboard labelled ,lockerbie ,water4 ,mr4 ,henderson also mentions another ,border amulet1 known as the ,black ,penny1 for long the property of a family at ,hume-byers4 ,it is larger than an ordinary penny1 and is believed to be a ,roman coin or medal4 ,when brought into use it should be dipped in a well1 the water of which runs towards the south4 ,mr4 ,henderson adds3--,popular belief still upholds the virtue of this remedy2 but1 alas6 it is lost to the world4 ,a friend of mine informs me that half a generation back the ,hume-byers ,penny was borrowed by some persons residing in the neighbourhood of ,morpeth and never returned4 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,pilgrimages ,,to ,,wells4 ,modern and ,ancient ,pilgrimages--,benefits from ,pilgrimages-- ,cuthbert's ,shrine at ,durham--,cross of ,crail--,pilgrims' ,well and ,st4 ,martha's ,hospital at ,aberdour--,ninian's ,shrine at ,whithorn and the ,holy ,wells of ,wigtownshire--,kentigern's ,shrine and ,spring at ,glasgow--,chapel and ,well of ,grace--,whitekirk--,isle of ,may--,witness of ,archology--,marmion--,early ,attempts in ,england to regulate ,pilgrimages to ,wells--,attempts in ,scotland after ,reformation--,enactments by ,church and ,state--,instances of ,visits to ,wells--,changed ,point of ,view--,craigie ,well--,downy ,well--,sugar and ,water ,sunday in ,cumberland--,sacred ,dramas at ,wells-- ,festivities--,st4 ,margaret's ,well at ,wereham--,what happened in ,ireland--,patrons--,shell-mound--,selli ng ,water--,fairs at ,springs --,some ,examples--,secrecy of ,visits to ,wells4 ,nowadays people put ,murray or ,black1 or some similar volume1 into their portmanteau1 and set off by rail on what they call a pilgrimage4 ,in this case the term is a synonym for sight-seeing1 usually accomplished under fairly comfortable conditions4 ,in ancient times pilgrimages were1 as a rule1 serious matters with a serious aim4 ,shakespeare says1 in ,two ,gentlemen of ,verona3-- ,a true devoted pilgrim is not weary ,to measure kingdoms with his feeble steps4 ,the object of such journeys was to benefit either soul or body1 or both4 ,the doing of penance1 or the fulfilling of a vow1 sent devotees to certain sacred spots1 sometimes in distant lands1 sometimes within our own four seas4 ,cuthbert's shrine at ,durham1 where the saint's body was finally deposited in #ajgj1 after its nearly two hundred years' wanderings1 was a noted resort of pilgrims in the middle ages1 and many cures were wrought at it4 ,archbishop ,eyre1 on the authority of ,reginald of ,durham1 tells of a certain man of noble birth1 belonging to the south of ,england1 who could not find relief for his leprosy4 ,he was told to light three candles1 and to dedicate them respectively to ,st4 ,edmund1 ,st4 ,etheldrith1 and ,st4 ,cuthbert1 and to visit the shrine of the saint whose candle first burned out4 ,the candles were lighted1 and the omen indicated the last-mentioned saint4 ,accordingly1 he travelled to the north country1 and1 after various religious exercises1 drew near the shrine of ,cuthbert1 and was cured4 ,the shrine in question was known even as far off as ,norway4 ,on one occasion1 at least1 viz41 in #aagb1 its miraculous aid was sought by an invalid from that country4 ,a young man of ,bergen1 who was blind1 deaf1 and dumb1 had sought relief at ,scandinavian shrines for six years1 but in vain4 ,the bishop suggested that he should try the virtue of an ,english shrine1 and recommended that lots should be cast1 to determine whether it was to be that of ,st4 ,edmund1 ,st4 ,thomas1 or ,st4 ,cuthbert4 ,the lot fell to ,st4 ,cuthbert4 ,the young man passed through ,scotland to ,durham1 and returned home cured4 ,the miracle1 doubtless1 still further increased the sanctity of the saint's tomb4 ,the ,cross of ,crail1 in ,fife1 had the power of working wonderful cures2 and many were the pilgrims who flocked to it4 ,aberdour1 in the same county1 had more than a local fame4 ,the name of ,the ,pilgrims' ,well there tells its own tale4 ,this well is now filled up1 but for centuries it attracted crowds of pilgrims4 ,in the fifteenth century the spot was so popular that about #adge1 at the suggestion of ,sir ,john ,scott1 vicar of ,aberdour1 the ,earl of ,morton granted a piece of land for the erection of an hospital to accommodate the pilgrims4 ,this hospital was named after ,st4 ,martha4 ,it is not certain to whom the ,pilgrims' ,well was dedicated2 but ,fillan was probably its patron1 as the ,rev4 ,wm4 ,ross conjectures1 in an article on the subject in the third volume of the ,proceedings of the ,society of ,antiquaries of ,scotland4 ,the church of ,aberdour was dedicated to the saint in question2 and the well was near the old churchyard4 ,ninian's shrine at ,whithorn was the scene of various miracles during the middle ages4 ,in #adbe ,james the ,first granted a safe-conduct to all strangers1 coming to ,scotland to visit it2 and ,james the ,fourth made a pilgrimage to it once a year1 and sometimes oftener4 ,it is likely1 remarks the ,rev4 ,daniel ,conway in an article on consecrated springs in the south-west of ,scotland1 that the spots in ,wigtownshire1 where ,holy ,wells were1 marked the route pursued by pilgrims bent on doing homage to the relics of ,st4 ,ninian at ,whithorn4 ,whithorn was not the only shrine visited by ,james the ,fourth4 ,he went repeatedly on pilgrimage to ,st4 ,andrews1 ,dunfermline1 and ,tain1 and left offerings at the shrines of their respective saints4 ,when on pilgrimage the king was usually accompanied by a large retinue1 including a company of minstrels4 ,he liked to have his dogs and hawks with him too1 to have a little hunting by the way4 ,st4 ,kentigern's ,well1 in the so-called crypt of ,glasgow ,cathedral1 has already been mentioned4 ,in the immediate neighbourhood is the spot believed to mark the last resting place of the saint4 ,till the ,reformation his shrine attracted crowds of pilgrims4 ,on special occasions his relics were displayed1 including his bones1 his hair shirt1 and his scourge1 and a red liquor that flowed from his tomb4 ,these1 along with other relics belonging to the cathedral1 were taken to ,france by ,archbishop ,beaton in #aefj4 ,in the ancient parish of ,dundurcus1 ,elginshire1 not far from the river ,spey1 once stood the ,chapel of ,grace1 and close to it was a well of the same name4 ,the place was a favourite resort of pilgrims4 ,lady ,aboyne went to it once a year1 a distance of over thirty miles1 and walked the last two miles of the way on her bare feet4 ,in #afch an attempt was made to put a stop to the pilgrimages1 by destroying what then remained of the chapel4 ,the attempt1 however1 seems to have been fruitless1 for in #agge1 ,shaw1 the historian of ,moray1 mentions that to it multitudes from the western isles do still resort1 and nothing short of violence can restrain their superstition4 ,in #adce1 when neas ,silvius 7afterwards ,pope ,pius the ,second7 was sailing from the low countries to ,scotland on a political mission1 he was twice overtaken by a storm1 and was in such danger that he vowed to make a pilgrimage1 should he escape drowning4 ,at length he reached the ,haddingtonshire coast in safety1 and1 to fulfil his vow1 set off barefoot1 over ice-covered ground1 to ,whitekirk1 ten miles away1 where there were a chapel and well1 dedicated to the ,virgin4 ,the journey left its mark on the pilgrim1 for we are told that he had aches in his joints ever afterwards4 ,st4 ,adrian's ,chapel1 in the ,isle of ,may1 in the ,firth of ,forth1 had a great reputation before the ,reformation4 ,the island has still its ,pilgrims' ,haven1 and its ,pilgrims' ,well close by4 ,archology bears witness to the popularity of pilgrimages in former times4 ,between ,moxley ,nunnery1 in ,yorkshire1 and ,st4 ,john's ,well1 about a mile away1 are the remains of a causeway1 laid down for the convenience of devotees4 ,at ,stenton1 in ,haddingtonshire1 near the road leading to ,dunbar1 is the well of the ,holy ,rood1 covered by a small circular building with a conical roof4 ,the well is now filled up4 ,its former importance is indicated by the fact that the pathway between it and the old church1 some two hundred yards off1 had a stone pavement1 implying considerable traffic to and from the spring4 ,in the quiet ,banffshire parish of ,inveraven1 is a spring1 at ,chapelton of ,kilmaichlie1 near the site of an ancient chapel4 ,the spring is now almost forgotten1 but its casing of stone shows that1 at one time1 it was an object of interest in the neighbourhood4 ,the author of ,marmion1 when describing the arrival1 at ,lindisfarne1 of the bark containing ,st4 ,hilda's holy maids from ,whitby1 has the following picturesque lines3-- ,the tide did now its flood-mark gain1 ,and girdled in the saint's domain3 ,for1 with the flow and ebb1 its style ,varies from continent to isle2 ,dry-shod1 o'er sands1 twice every day1 ,the pilgrims to the shrine find way2 ,twice1 every day1 the waves efface ,of staves and sandalled feet the trace4 ,towards the end of the same poem1 in connection with the ,lady ,clare's quest of water for the dying ,marmion1 we find the following reference3-- ,where shall she turn8--behold her mark ,a little fountain cell1 ,where water1 clear as diamond-spark1 ,in a stone basin fell6 ,above1 some half-worn letters say1 ',drink 4 weary 4 pilgrim 4 drink 4 and 4 pray 4 ,for 4 the 4 kind 4 soul 4 of 4 ,sybil 4 ,grey 4 ,who 4 built 4 this 4 cross 4 and 4 well4' ,in ,england1 during the middle ages1 there were various attempts to regulate the custom of making pilgrimages to wells4 ,a canon of ,king ,edgar1 of date #ifc1 prohibited the superstitious resorting to fountains1 and in #aajb1 one of the canons of ,st4 ,anselm permitted only such wells to be visited as were approved of by the bishop4 ,in ,scotland1 vigorous efforts were made1 after the ,reformation1 to abolish the practice4 ,both ,church and ,state combined to bring about this result4 ,in an ,act of ,parliament1 of date #aeha1 allusion is made to the pervers inclination of mannis ingyne to superstitioun through which the dregges of idolatrie yit remanis in divers pairtis of the realme be useing of pilgrimage to sum chappellis1 wellis1 croces1 and sic other monumentis of idolatrie1 as also be observing of the festual dayis of the santes sumtyme namit their patronis in setting forth of bain fyres1 singing of caroles within and about kirkes at certane seasones of the yeir4 ,in #afbi the practice was sternly forbidden by an edict from the ,privy ,council4 ,in connection with this edict1 ,dalyell remarks1 ,it seems not to have been enough that congregations were interdicted from the pulpit preceding the wonted period of resort1 or that individuals1 humbled on their knees1 in public acknowledgment of their offence1 were rebuked or fined for disobedience4 ,now1 it was declared that1 for the purpose of restraining the superstitious resort1 'in pilgrimages to chappellis and wellis1 which is so frequent and common in this kingdome1 to the great offence of ,god1 scandall of the kirk1 and disgrace of his ,majesteis government2 that commissioners cause diligent search at all such pairts and places where this idolatrous superstitioun is used1 and to take and apprehend all suche persons of whatsomever rank and qualitie whom they sall deprehend going in pilgrimage to chappellis and wellis1 or whome they sall know thameselffes to be guiltie of that cryme1 and to commit thame to waird1 until measures should be adopted for their trial and punishment4' ,prior to the date of the above edict the ,privy ,council had not been idle1 crowds of people were in the habit of making a pilgrimage on ,may ,day to ,christ's ,well1 in ,menteith1 where they performed certain superstitious rites4 ,accordingly1 in #afbd1 a ,commission was issued to a number of gentlemen belonging to the district instructing them to station themselves beside the well1 to apprehend the pilgrims and to remove them to the ,castle of ,doune4 ,even such measures did not cause the practice to cease4 ,in #afbh several persons were accused before the kirk-session of ,falkirk of going in pilgrimage to the well in question1 and being found guilty1 were ordered to appear in church three appointed ,sundays1 clad in the garb of penitents4 ,the same year the following warning was issued by the aforesaid kirk-session3--,it is statute and ordained that if any person or persons be found superstitiously and idolatrously1 after this1 to have passed in pilgrimage to ,christ's ,well1 on the ,sundays of ,may to seek their health1 they shall repent in sacco and linen three several ,sabbaths1 and pay twenty lib4 7,scots7 toties quoties for ilk fault2 and if they cannot pay it the baillies shall be recommended to put them in ward1 and to be fed on bread and water for aught days4 ,scottish ecclesiastical records1 indeed1 bear ample testimony to the zeal displayed by the ,church in putting a stop to such visits4 ,in his ,domestic ,annals of ,scotland1 ,chambers gives the following picture of what was done by the kirk-session of ,perth4 ,the example shows the lines usually followed in connection with such prosecutions3--,at ,huntingtower there was a well1 the water of which was believed to have sanative qualities when used under certain circumstances4 ,in ,may1 #afah1 two women of humble rank were before the kirk-session of ,perth1 'who1 being asked if they were at the well in the bank of ,huntingtower the last ,sabbath1 if they drank thereof1 and what they left at it1 answered1 that they drank thereof1 and that each of them left a prin 7pin7 thereat1 which was found to be a point of idolatrie in putting the well in ,god's room4' ,they were each fined six shillings1 and compelled to make public avowal of their repentance4 ,in the parish of ,nigg1 ,kincardineshire1 is ,st4 ,fittack's or ,st4 ,fiacre's ,well1 situated close to the sea4 ,it is within easy reach of ,aberdeen across the ,dee4 ,many a visit was paid to it by the inhabitants of that burgh1 from motives of superstition4 ,the ,aberdeen kirk-session1 however1 did its duty in the matter1 and repeatedly forbade such visits4 ,in #afcj1 ,margrat ,davidson1 spous to ,andro ,adam1 was adjudget in ane unlaw of fyve poundis to be payed to the collector for directing hir nowriss with hir bairne to ,sanct ,fiackres ,well1 and weshing the bairne tharin for recovirie of hir health2 and the said ,margrat and hir nowriss were ordainit to acknowledge thair offence before the ,session for thair fault1 and for leaveing ane offering in the well4 ,the saint1 to whom the well was dedicated1 is believed to have migrated from ,scotland to ,france early in the seventh century1 and to have been held in much esteem there4 ,from ,butler's ,lives of the ,saints we get the curious information that the name fiacre was first given to hackney coaches1 because hired carriages were first made use of for the convenience of pilgrims who went from ,paris to visit the shrine of this saint4 ,a well at ,airth1 in ,stirlingshire1 was for long a centre of attraction4 ,what was done there may be learned from some entries in the local kirk-session records quoted in ,hone's ,every-,day ,book3--,feb4 #c1 #ageg4 ,session convenit4 ,compeared ,bessie ,thomson1 who declairit schoe went to the well at ,airth1 and that schoe left money thairat and after the can was fillat with water1 they keepit it from touching the ground till they cam hom4 ,february #bdth4--,compeired ,robert ,fuird1 who declared he went to the well of ,airth and spoke nothing als he went1 and that ,margrat ,walker went with him1 and schoe said ye belief about the well1 and left money and ane napkin at the well1 and all was done at her injunction4 ,march #ba4--;,compeired ,robert ,ffuird who declairit yat ,margrat ,walker went to ye well of ,airth to fetch water to ,robert ,cowie1 and when schoe com thair schoe laid down money in ,god's name1 and ane napkin in ,robert ,cowie's name4 ,the session ordered the delinquents to be admonished4 ,years went on1 and modes of thought gradually changed4 ,church and ,state alike began to respect the liberty of the subject4 ,though visits continued to be paid to holy wells1 they ceased to be reckoned as offences4 ,people might still resort to the spots1 so familiar to their ancestors1 and so much revered by them2 but they no longer found themselves shut up in prison1 or made to do penance before the whole congregation4 ,old customs continued to hold sway1 though less stress was laid on the superstitions1 lying behind them4 ,thus it came to pass1 that pilgrimages to holy wells became more and more an excuse for mirthful meetings among friends4 ,this was specially true of ,craigie ,well1 in the parish of ,avoch1 in the ,black ,isle of ,cromarty4 ,the time for visiting the spring was early in the morning of the first ,sunday in ,may4 ,the well was situated near ,munlochy ,bay1 a few yards above high-water-mark1 and gets its name from the crags around4 ,a correspondent of ,chambers's ,book of ,days thus describes what he saw and heard3--,i arrived about an hour before sunrise1 but long before1 crowds of lads and lasses from all quarters were fast pouring in4 ,some1 indeed1 were there at daybreak who had journeyed more than seven miles4 ,before the sun made his appearance1 the whole scene looked more like a fair than anything else4 ,acquaintances shook hands in true ,highland style1 brother met brother1 and sister met sister1 while laughter and all kinds of country news and gossip were so freely indulged in1 that a person could hardly hear what he himself said4 ,amid all the stir and bustle the spring itself was not neglected1 for everyone took care to have a drink4 ,some used dishes1 while others1 on hands and knees1 sucked up the water with the mouth4 ,these latter were now and again ducked over head and ears by their acquaintances1 who much enjoyed the frolic4 ,no one went away without leaving a thread1 or patch of cloth on a large briar bush near the spring4 ,besides ,st4 ,fittack's ,well1 there is another in ,nigg parish called ,downy ,well4 ,it used to be resorted to in ,may1 by persons who drank the water1 and then crossed by a narrow neck of land1 called ,the ,brig of a'e ,hair1 to ,downy ,hill--a green headland in the sea--where they amused themselves by carving their names in the turf4 ,brand1 in his ,popular ,antiquities1 gives the following particulars about a custom that still prevailed in ,cumberland1 when he wrote about forty years ago3--,in some parts of the ,north of ,england it has been a custom from time immemorial for the lads and lasses of the neighbouring villages to collect together at springs or rivers1 on some ,sunday in ,may1 to drink sugar and water1 where the lasses gave the treat3 this is called ,sugar and ,water ,sunday4 ,they afterwards adjourn to the public-house1 and the lads return the compliment in cakes1 ale1 punch1 c4 ,a vast concourse of both sexes assemble for the above purpose at the ,giant's ,cave1 near ,eden ,hall in ,cumberland1 on the third ,sunday in ,may4 ,we do not know whether sacred dramas were ever performed beside ,scottish springs2 but ,stow informs us that the parish clerks of ,london made an annual pilgrimage to ,clark's ,well1 near the ,metropolis1 to play some large history of ,holy ,scripture4 ,he also mentions that a ,miracle ,play1 lasting eight days1 was performed at ,skinner's ,well in the time of ,henry the ,fourth4 ,south of the ,tweed1 springs were often the scenes of festivity4 ,thus1 to take only one example1 we find that pilgrims to ,st4 ,margaret's ,well1 at ,wereham in ,norfolk1 were in the habit1 in pre-,reformation days1 of regaling themselves with cakes and ale1 and indulging in music and dancing4 ,what occurred in ,ireland down to the beginning of the present century may be gathered from a passage in ,mason's ,statistical ,account of ,ireland reprinted in the ,folklore ,journal for #ahhh4 ,after referring to religious assemblies at ,holy ,wells the writer remarks3--,at these places are always erected booths or tents as in ,fairs for selling whisky1 beer1 and ale1 at which pipers and fiddlers do not fail to attend1 and the remainder of the day and night 7after their religious performances are over and the priest withdrawn7 is spent in singing1 dancing1 and drinking to excess4444 ,such places are frequently chosen for scenes of pitched battles1 fought with cudgels by parties not only of parishes but of counties1 set in formal array against each other to revenge some real or supposed injury4 ,in ,roman ,catholic districts of ,ireland1 what are called patrons1 i4e41 gatherings in honour of the patron saints of the place1 are still popular4 ,from an article on ,connemara ,folklore1 by ,g4 ,h4 ,kinahan1 in the ,folklore ,journal for #ahhd1 we learn that a consecrated spring at ,cashla ,bay has1 beside it1 a large conical mound of sea-shells4 ,these are the remains of the shell-fish forming the food of the pilgrims during the continuance of the patron1 and cooked by them on the top of the mound4 ,last century1 in ,ireland1 the custom of carrying the water of famous wells to distant parts1 and there selling it1 was not unknown4 ,a correspondent of the ,gentleman's ,magazine mentions that about #agej this was done in connection with a miraculous spring near ,sligo2 and that1 some years earlier1 the water of ,lough ,finn was sold in the district1 where he lived1 at sixpence1 eightpence1 and tenpence per quart1 according to the different success of sale the carriers had on the road4 ,a thatched cottage stood close to the site of ,st4 ,margaret's ,well at ,restalrig1 and was inhabited by a man who carried the water of the spring to ,leith for sale4 ,mr4 ,william ,andrews1 in his ,old ,time ,punishments1 tells of booths having been set up beside a ,lincolnshire gibbet in #ahad1 to supply provisions for the crowds who came to see a murderer hanging in chains there4 ,less gruesome were the fairs at one time held in the neighbourhood of springs1 though even they had certain unpleasant concomitants1 which led in the end to their discontinuance4 ,in the united parish of ,dunkeld and ,dowally is ,sancta ,crux ,well1 at ,crueshill4 ,till towards the middle of the present century1 it was such a popular resort1 that tents were set up and refreshments sold to the pilgrims4 ,alcohol was so freely partaken of that drunken brawls often ensued1 and right-minded people felt that the gathering would be more honoured in the breach than in the observance4 ,st4 ,fillan's ,fair1 at ,struan1 took place on the first ,friday after ,new ,year's ,day 7,o4,s474 ,it was held on a spot close to the church1 and not far from ,st4 ,fillan's ,well4 ,it is now discontinued1 but its stance is still known as ,croft-an-taggart1 i4e41 ,the ,priest's ,croft4 ,the ,well ,market1 now held at ,tomintoul1 in ,kirkmichael parish1 ,banffshire1 but formerly beside ,fergan ,well1 has already been referred to4 ,writing in ,april1 #ahib1 a correspondent1 who has resided in the parish for nearly half-a-century1 mentions the following particulars concerning the spring3--,the healing virtue of its water is still believed in1 especially on the first ,sunday of ,may1 when parties still gather and watch the arrival of ,sunday morning with special care1 many of them remaining there the whole night and part of the ,sabbath4 ,whoever first washes in the water or drinks of it is cured of any disease or sore with which they may be troubled4 ,our correspondent adds3--,the annual market of the district was held at ,fergan ,well1 and the foundations of the tents or booths where goods were sold are still visible3 and very probably there was a kind of mountain dew partaken of stronger than the water that now flows from ,fergan ,well4 ,we shall have something more to say about fairs in the next chapter4 ,though modern enlightenment has not entirely abolished the practice of resorting to consecrated springs1 it has1 as a rule1 produced a desire for secrecy on the part of the pilgrims4 ,when superstitious motives are absent1 and springs are visited merely from curiosity or love of frolic1 there is no sense of shame1 and hence no need for concealment4 ,but when the pilgrims regard the practice as a magical rite1 they usually prefer to keep the rest of the world in the dark as to their doings4 ,sir ,arthur ,mitchell truly remarks in his ,past in the ,present--,it is well enough understood that the business is not a ,christian one1 and that the engaging in it is not a thing which it would be easy to justify4 ,there is a consciousness that it has not been gone about as an empty1 meaningless ceremony1 but that it has involved an acknowledgment of a supernatural power controlling human affairs and influenced by certain rites and offerings--a power different from that which is acknowledged by ,christians4 ,hence it happens that there is a difficulty in getting people to confess to these visits1 and1 of course1 a greater difficulty still in getting them to speak1 freely and frankly1 about the feelings and beliefs which led to them4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,,sun-,,worship ,,and ,,well-,,worship4 ,fairs--,their ,connection with ,holy ,days--,nature-festivals--,modes of ,marking ,time--,ecclesiastical ,year and ,natural ,year--,christmas --,fire-festivals--,hallow ,e'en and ,mid-summer ,fires--,beltane--,its ,connection with ,sun-worship--,sun-charms--,carrying ,fire--,clavie at ,burghead--,fiery-circle--,traces of ,sun-worship in ,folk-customs-- ,in ,architecture--,turning ,sunways--,widdershins--,when ,wells were ,visited--,may--,influence of ,pagan ,rites--,folklore of ,may ,day-- ,sundays in ,may--,sunday ,wells--,sunday1 why ,chosen--,lammas--,festival of ,st4 ,peter ad ,vincula--,gule of ,august--,sun and ,well-worship-- ,time of ,day for ,using ,wells--,fonts of the ,cross--,walking ,sunways round ,wells--,doing the ,reverse--,witch's ,well--,south-running ,water4 ,in his ,scottish ,markets and ,fairs ,sir ,j4 ,d4 ,marwick observes3--,simple home needs1 such as plain food and clothing1 articles of husbandry1 and other indispensable appliances of life gave rise to markets held at frequent fixed times1 at suitable centres4 ,but as society grew and artificial needs sprung up1 these could only be met by trade2 and trade on anything beyond a very limited scale was only then practicable at fairs4 ,wherever large numbers of persons were drawn together1 at fixed times1 for purposes of business or religion or pleasure1 an inducement was offered to the merchant or pedlar1 as well as to the craftsman1 to attend1 and to provide by the diversity and quality of his wares for the requirements of the persons there congregated4 ,in the last chapter allusion was made to such gatherings in connection with springs4 ,we shall now look at the dates when they were held1 in order to trace their connection with nature-festivals4 ,fairs1 as distinguished from markets1 were of comparatively rare occurrence at any given place4 ,in the majority of instances1 they can be traced back to some gathering held in connection with what were originally holy days1 and afterwards holidays4 ,such holy days commemorated a local saint1 the fame of whose sanctity was confined to more or less narrow limits1 or one whom ,christendom at large delighted to honour2 or1 again1 a leading event in sacred or legendary history deemed worthy of a place in the ecclesiastical year4 ,a few dates when fairs are1 or were held at various ,scottish centres may be selected from ,sir ,j4 ,marwick's list4 ,at ,abercorn they were held on ,michaelmas and ,st4 ,serf's ,day2 at ,aberdeen1 on ,whitsunday1 ,holy ,trinity1 ,michaelmas1 and ,st4 ,nicholas's ,day2 at ,charlestown of ,aboyne1 on ,candlemas1 ,michaelmas1 and ,hallowmas2 at ,annan1 on ,ascension-day and ,michaelmas2 at ,ayr1 on ,mid-summer and ,michaelmas2 at ,biggar1 on ,candlemas and ,mid-summer2 at ,clackmannan1 on ,st4 ,bartholomew's ,day2 at ,cromdale1 on ,st4 ,luke's ,day1 ,st4 ,peter's ,day1 ,michaelmas1 and ,st4 ,george's ,day2 at ,culross1 on ,st4 ,serf's ,day1 ,martinmas1 and ,st4 ,matthew's ,day2 at ,dalmellington1 on ,fastern's ,e'en and ,hallow ,e'en2 at ,dalmeny1 on ,st4 ,john the ,baptist's ,day and ,st4 ,luke's ,day2 at ,doune1 on ,martinmas1 ,yule1 ,candlemas1 ,whitsunday1 ,lammas1 and ,michaelmas2 at ,dumbarton1 on ,patrickmas1 ,mid-summer1 and ,lammas2 at ,fraserburgh1 on ,st4 ,john the ,baptist's ,day and ,michaelmas2 at ,fyvie1 on ,fastern's ,eve1 ,st4 ,peter's ,day1 and ,st4 ,magdalene's ,day2 at ,hamilton1 on ,st4 ,lawrence's ,day and ,martinmas2 at ,inveraray1 on ,michaelmas and ,st4 ,brandane's ,day2 at ,stranraer1 on ,st4 ,barnabas' ,day and ,lammas4 ,among the fairs at ,auchinblae were ,pasch ,market in ,april1 and one called ,may ,day to be held on the #bbnd of that month4 ,this series might be indefinitely enlarged2 but as it stands it shows that the leading nature-festivals1 such as ,yule1 ,easter1 ,whitsuntide1 ,mid-summer1 ,michaelmas1 and ,hallowmas have a prominent place among the dates selected4 ,an examination of ,sir ,j4 ,marwick's list further shows that the dates of fairs were often fixed1 not with reference to any particular holy day1 but to some day of a particular month1 such as the second ,tuesday1 or the third ,thursday4 ,many of these occur in ,may4 ,in ancient documents--in ,acts of ,parliaments1 for instance--dates were commonly fixed by a reference to holy days4 ,in ,presbyterian ,scotland such a method of marking time is not now in fashion1 though some relics of the practice survive4 ,we are still familiar with ,whitsunday and ,martinmas as term-days1 but how few now ever think of them as ecclesiastical festivals6 ,the meaning of customs associated with the various holy days has come to be duly recognised by the student of ecclesiastical antiquities4 ,while the ,christian year was being evolved in the course of centuries1 certain festivals were introduced1 as one might say1 arbitrarily1 i4e41 without being linked to any pre-,christian usages4 ,from the point of view of ,church celebrations1 they have not the same significance as those others that received1 as their heritage1 certain rights in vogue before the spread of ,christianity4 ,in other words1 the leading pagan festivals had a new meaning put into them1 and1 when adopted by the ,church1 were exalted to a position of honour4 ,in virtue of this1 the ecclesiastical year was correlated to the natural year1 with its varying seasons and its archaic festivals4 ,there is no doubt that in early times the ,church sought to win nations from paganism by admitting as many of the old customs as were deemed harmless4 ,we have seen how this was effected in the case of fountains1 as shown by ,columba's exorcism of the demons inhabiting springs4 ,the same principle prevailed all round4 ,the old ,saturnalia of the ,romans1 for instance1 became the rejoicings of ,christmas4 ,to the distinctively ,christian aspects of the festival we do not1 of course1 allude1 but to the customs still in vogue at the ,yule season2 and these are nothing more than a revised edition of the old pagan rites4 ,among other ,aryan peoples the winter solstice was also commemorated by similar merry-makings4 ,church festivals1 such as ,candlemas1 ,easter1 ,st4 ,john's ,day1 ,st4 ,peter's ,day1 ,michaelmas1 ,hallowmas1 ,christmas1 c41 absorbed many distinctive features of the old pagan fire-festivals1 held in connection with the changes of the seasons4 ,the kindling of fires out of doors1 on special occasions1 is familiar to all of us4 ,they may be called modern folk-customs2 but their origin is ancient enough to give them special significance4 ,even to the present time1 twinkling spots of light may be seen along the shores of ,loch ,tay on ,hallow ,e'en1 though the mid-summer fires do not now blaze on our ,scottish hills1 as they continue to do in ,scandinavia and elsewhere4 ,among the ,bavarian ,highlands these mid-summer fires are popularly known as ,sonnenwendfeuer1 i4e41 solstice-fires4 ,that they are so called and not ,st4 ,john's fires 7though lighted in connection with his festival7 is significant4 ,in ,brittany a belief prevailed that if a girl danced nine times round one of the ,st4 ,john's fires before midnight she would be married within the year4 ,the most important fire-festival in ,scotland was that of ,beltane at the beginning of ,may4 ,it was celebrated generally throughout our land4 ,to the south of the ,forth several sites are known to have been specially associated with ,beltane fires4 ,in ,lanarkshire two such sites were1 the hills of ,tinto and ,dechmont4 ,tinto1 indeed1 means the hill of fire4 ,it was used for beacon-fires as well as for those connected with nature-festivals1 and was well adapted for the purpose1 being #bcce feet above the sea1 and #afee feet above the ,clyde at its base4 ,though not nearly so high1 ,dechmont hill commands a splendid view over the neighbouring country4 ,early in the present century a quantity of charcoal was discovered near its summit hidden beneath a stratum of fine loam4 ,the country people around expressed no surprise at the discovery1 as they were familiar with the tradition that the spot had been used for the kindling of ,beltane fires4 ,in ,peeblesshire1 too1 the ,beltane festival long held its ground4 ,in the fifteenth century the town of ,peebles was the scene of joyous ,may ,day gatherings4 ,from far and near1 holiday-makers1 dressed in their best1 came together to join in the ,beltane amusements4 ,who has not heard of the poem1 ,peblis to the ,play1 attributed to ,king ,james the ,first8 ,the play consisted of a round of rural festivities--archery and horse-racing being the chief recreations4 ,pennant gives a minute account of ,beltane rites as practised about #aggb4 ,on the first of ,may the herdsmen of every village hold their ,bel-tein1 a rural sacrifice4 ,they cut a square trench on the ground1 leaving the turf in the middle2 on that they make a fire of wood1 on which they dress a large caudle of eggs1 butter1 oat-meal1 and milk1 and bring1 besides the ingredients of the caudle1 plenty of beer and whisky2 for each of the company must contribute something4 ,the rites begin with spilling some of the caudle on the ground by way of libation2 on that1 every one takes a cake of oatmeal1 upon which are raised nine square knobs1 each dedicated to some particular being1 the supposed preserver of their flocks and herds1 or to some particular animal1 the real destroyer of them2 each person then turns his face to the fire1 breaks off a knob1 and flinging it over his shoulders1 says1 ',this ,i give to thee1 preserve thou my horses2 this to thee1 preserve thou my sheep'2 and so on4 ,after that they use the same ceremony to the noxious animals1 ',this ,i give to thee1 ,o fox6 spare thou my lambs2 this to thee1 ,o hooded crow6 this to thee1 ,o eagle6' ,when the ceremony is over they dine on the caudle2 and after the feast is finished1 what is left is hid by two persons deputed for that purpose2 but on the next ,sunday they reassemble and finish the reliques of the first entertainment4 ,an examination of the dates when fire-festivals were held shows that they had a distinct connection with the sun's annual cycle4 ,when several leading ,church festivals fell to be observed about the same time of the year1 they had often some features in common4 ,thus the pagan mid-summer festival had as its lineal successor1 not only ,st4 ,john's ,day 7#bdth ,june71 but ,st4 ,vitus's ,day and ,st4 ,peter's ,day1 respectively the fifteenth and the twenty-ninth of the same month4 ,the kindling of fires was a feature of all three4 ,medival fire-festivals were thus the gleanings of rites derived from archaic sun-worship4 ,the question arises1 what connection was there between the custom and the cult8 ,mr4 ,j4 ,g4 ,frazer1 in his ,golden ,bough1 has collected a variety of facts which go to show that the lighting of these fires was primarily intended to ensure the shining of the sun in the heavens4 ,mr4 ,frazer thus sums up the evidence3 ,the best general explanation of these ,european fire-festivals seems to be the one given by ,mannhardt1 namely1 that they are sun-charms or magical ceremonies intended to ensure a proper supply of sunshine for men1 animals1 and plants4 ,savages resort to charms for making sunshine1 and we need not wonder that primitive man in ,europe has done the same4 ,indeed1 considering the cold and cloudy climate of ,europe during a considerable part of the year1 it is natural that sun-charms should have played a much more prominent part among the superstitious practices of ,european peoples than among those of savages who live nearer the equator4 ,this view of the festivals in question is supported by various considerations drawn partly from the rites themselves1 partly from the influence which they are believed to exert upon the weather and on vegetation4 ,after alluding to certain sun-charms1 ,mr4 ,frazer continues1 ,in these the magic force is supposed to take effect through mimicry or sympathy2 by imitating the desired result you actually produce it2 by counterfeiting the sun's progress through the heavens you really help the luminary to pursue his celestial journey with punctuality and despatch4444 ,the influence which these bonfires are supposed to exert on the weather and on vegetation goes to show that they are sun-charms1 since the effects ascribed to them are identical with those of sunshine4 ,thus1 in ,sweden1 the warmth or cold of the coming season is inferred from the direction in which the flames of the bonfire are blown2 if they blow to the south it will be warm1 if to the north1 cold4 ,no doubt at present the direction of the flames is regarded merely as an augury of the weather1 not as a mode of influencing it4 ,but we may be pretty sure that this is one of the cases in which magic has dwindled into divination4 ,hence a good supply of light and heat is not only foretold1 but guaranteed4 ,the view that these fires were reckoned mock-suns is confirmed by the custom1 at one time common1 of carrying lighted brands round the fields to ensure their fertility4 ,blazing torches were thus carried in ,pennant's time in the middle of ,june4 ,martin refers to the carrying of fire in the ,hebrides4 ,there was an antient custom in the ,island of ,lewis to make a fiery circle about the houses1 corn1 cattle1 c41 belonging to each particular family4 ,an instance of this round was performed in the village ,shadir1 in ,lewis1 about sixteen years ago 7i4e41 circa #afhj71 but it proved fatal to the practiser1 called ,mac,callum2 for1 after he had carefully performed this round1 that very night following he and his family were sadly surprised1 and all his houses1 corn1 cattle1 c41 were consumed with fire4 ,this superstitious custom is quite abolished now1 for there has not been above this one instance of it in forty years past4 ,till a later date in ,lewis1 fire continued to be carried round children before they were baptised1 and round mothers before they were churched1 to prevent evil spirits from doing harm4 ,burghead1 in ,elginshire1 is still the scene of an annual fire-festival1 celebrated on the last day of the year 7,o4,s474 ,it is locally known as the burning of the clavie4 ,on the afternoon of the day in question1 careful preparations are made for the ceremony4 ,a tar barrel is sawn across1 and of it the clavie is made4 ,a pole of firwood is stuck through the barrel1 and held in its place by a large nail driven in by a stone1 no hammer being used4 ,the clavie is then filled with tar and pieces of wood4 ,after dark these combustibles are kindled1 according to ancient practice1 by a burning peat from a neighbouring cottage4 ,the clavie is then lifted by one of the men and carried through the village amid the applause of the inhabitants4 ,notwithstanding the risk from the burning tar1 the possession of the clavie1 while on its pilgrimage1 is eagerly coveted4 ,in former times1 a stumble on the part of the bearer was counted unlucky for himself personally1 and for the village as a whole4 ,after being borne about for some time1 the still blazing clavie is placed on an adjacent mound called the ,doorie1 where a stone column was built some years ago for its accommodation4 ,a hole in the top of the column receives the pole4 ,there the clavie is allowed to burn for about half-an-hour1 when it is thrown down the slope of the mound4 ,the burning fragments are eagerly snatched up and carried away by the spectators4 ,these fragments were formerly kept as charms to ensure good fortune to their possessors4 ,in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the ,church discountenanced the burning of the clavie as idolatrous and sinful1 and certain penalties were threatened against all who took part in it4 ,the antiquity of the custom may be inferred from the fact1 that two hundred years ago it was called old4 ,at that time lights were carried round the boats in the harbour1 and certain other ceremonies were performed1 all pointing to a pagan origin4 ,formerly the custom was in vogue1 not only at ,burghead1 but at most of the fishing villages along the ,morayshire coast4 ,the object in every case was the same1 viz41 the blessing of the boats to ensure a good fishing season4 ,a singular survival of sun-worship is to be found in the use of a fiery circle as a curative agent4 ,in the volume of the ,proceedings of the ,society of ,antiquaries of ,scotland for #ahhi-ij1 the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,stewart of ,nether ,lochaber recounts a recent instance of its use in the ,highlands4 ,a dwining child1 a year and a half old1 was pronounced by a wise woman of the district to be suffering from the effects of an evil eye4 ,the rite1 called in ,gaelic1 ,beannachd-na-,cuairte1 i4e41 ,blessing of the ,circle1 was accordingly resorted to4 ,a straw rope was wound round the greater part of an iron hoop1 and1 oil being applied1 the whole was set on fire4 ,the hoop was then held vertically1 and through the blazing circle the child was passed and repassed eighteen times to correspond to the months of its life4 ,the blazing hoop was then extinguished in a neighbouring burn4 ,the result was in every way to the satisfaction of the child's relatives4 ,in the same article ,dr4 ,stewart gives an account1 sent to him by a friend1 of a similar superstition common in ,wigtownshire till about half-a-century ago4 ,in this case1 the healing influence came through the channel of the iron tire of a new cart wheel4 ,after fire had been applied to it to make it fit the wheel1 the tire was passed over the head of the patient1 who was thus placed in the middle of a glowing circle4 ,so much for the traces of sun-worship in rites connected with fire4 ,there are traces of it also in certain folk-customs1 at one time common1 and not yet extinct4 ,highlanders were formerly in the habit of taking off their bonnets to the rising sun4 ,akin to this is the feeling underlying the ,venetian expedition to the ,lido1 annually repeated in ,july1 when thousands cross to that island at dawn1 and utter a loud shout when the sun rises above the horizon4 ,in cases where sun-worship is a national cult we naturally expect it to have a marked influence on the sacred customs and architecture of its votaries4 ,one example will suffice4 ,in his ,pre-historic ,man1 ,sir ,daniel ,wilson thus describes the great annual festival of the ,peruvians1 held at the summer solstice3--,for three days previous1 a general fast prevailed2 the fire on the great altar of the sun went out1 and in all the dwellings of the land no hearth was kindled4 ,as the dawn of the fourth day approached1 the ,inca1 surrounded by his nobles1 who came from all parts of the country to join in the solemn celebration1 assembled in the great square of the capital to greet the rising sun4 ,the temple of the national deity presented its eastern portal to the earliest rays1 emblazoned with his golden image1 thickly set with precious stones1 and as the first beams of the morning were reflected back from this magnificent emblem of the god of day1 songs of triumph mingled with the jubilant shout of his worshippers4 ,then1 after various rites of adoration1 preparations were made for rekindling the sacred fire4 ,the rays of the sun1 collected into a focus by a concave mirror of polished metal1 were made to inflame a heap of dried cotton2 and a llama was sacrificed as a burnt offering to the sun4 ,even after sun-worship has ceased to be a national cult1 we find it continuing to regulate the position of buildings1 devoted to a totally different worship4 ,in this way what is commonly styled the orientation of ,christian churches can be accounted for4 ,indeed1 so much had the sun to do with churches1 that when one was built in honour of a particular saint1 it was made to face the point of the horizon1 where the sun rose on the festival of the saint in question4 ,in our own land much stress used to be laid on the necessity of turning according to the course of the sun1 i4e41 from left to right4 ,to do so tended to bring prosperity to whatever was being undertaken at the time4 ,martin often refers to such a turn under the title of ,dessil1 a word of ,gaelic origin1 in connection with which1 it is interesting to note that in ,gaelic ,deas signifies both south and to the right4 ,martin mentions certain stones1 round which the inhabitants of the ,western ,isles made what he calls a religious turn4 ,in the island of ,eigg1 he tells us3--,there is a heap of stones called ,martin ,dessil1 i4e41 a place consecrated to the saint of that name1 about which the natives oblige themselves to make a tour round sunways4 ,it was also customary when anyone wished well to another to walk round him thrice sunways4 ,the following are some of ,martin's own experiences in the matter of the ,dessil3--,some are very careful1 when they set out to sea1 that the boat be first rowed about sunways2 and if this be neglected they are afraid their voyage may prove unfortunate4 ,i had this ceremony paid me 7when in the island of ,ila7 by a poor woman after ,i had given her an alms4 ,i desired her to let alone that compliment1 for ,i did not care for it2 but she insisted to make these three ordinary turns1 and pray'd that ,god and ,mac,charmaig1 the patron saint of that island1 might bless and prosper me in all my designs and affairs4 ,i attempted twice to go from ,ila to ,collonsay1 and at both times they row'd about the boat sunways1 tho' ,i forbid them to do it2 and by a contrary wind the boat and those in it were forced back4 ,i took boat again a third time from ,jura to ,collonsay1 and at the same time forbid them to row about their boat1 which they obey'd1 and then we landed safely at ,collonsay without any ill adventure1 which some of the crew did not believe possible for want of the round4 ,this superstition lingered long after ,martin's time1 and probably still directs the course of many a fishing-boat when being put to sea4 ,in connection with events of moment--such as baptisms1 bridals1 and burials--the necessity for turning sunways was felt to be specially binding2 but even in matters of no particular importance the rule was held to apply4 ,if movement sunways was lucky1 movement in a contrary direction was the reverse4 ,such a movement was1 and still is1 known as ,widdershins or ,withershins1 the ,shetland form being ,witherwise4 ,to go ,widdershins was to go against the sun1 and was hence regarded as a violation of the established order of things4 ,in his ,darker ,superstitions ,dalyell remarks3--,the moving widderschynnes1 as if withdrawing from the deified orb of day1 inferred a guilty retreat1 and was associated with the premeditated evil of sorcery4 ,we have thus glanced at the relations of springs to fairs1 of fairs to ,church festivals1 of ,church festivals to nature festivals1 and of these to sun-worship4 ,we shall now gather together the threads of the argument1 and indicate some of the chief points of connection between well-worship and sun-worship4 ,to do this1 we must inquire when springs were mainly visited4 ,when a well was under the patronage of a saint1 the festival day of that saint was in some cases the day selected4 ,it would be natural to regard this as the rule4 ,but1 as a matter of fact1 pilgrimages were commonly made on days other than the festival of the patron saint4 ,as may be remembered1 the ,holy ,pool in ,strathfillan was mainly resorted to on the first day of the quarter 7,o4,s472 and ,st4 ,fillan's ,spring at ,comrie on #ast ,may and #ast ,august4 ,as may be also remembered1 the waters of ,loch ,manaar1 in ,sutherland1 were thought to possess special virtue on the first ,monday of ,february1 ,may1 ,august1 and ,november 7,o4,s471 the second and third of these dates being specially popular4 ,what the practice was at ,mochrum ,loch1 in ,wigtownshire1 is clear from ,symson's account in his ,description of ,galloway4 ,this loch1 he says1 is very famous in many writers1 who report that it never freezeth in the greatest frosts4444 ,whether it had any virtue of old ,i know not1 but sure ,i am it hath it not now4 ,however1 ,i deny not but the water thereof may be medicinal1 having received several credible informations that several persons1 both old and young1 have been cured of continued diseases by washing therein4 ,yet still ,i cannot approve of their washing three times therein1 which they say they must do1 neither the frequenting there of the first ,sunday of ,february1 ,may1 ,august1 and ,november1 although many foolish people affirm that1 not only the water of this loch1 but also many other springs and wells1 have more virtue on those days than any other4 ,close to the ,welltrees meadow in ,sanquhar parish1 once flowed a spring dedicated to ,st4 ,bridget4 ,in his history of the parish1 ,mr4 ,james ,brown tells us that1 according to the testimony of the old people1 it was customary for the maidens of ,sanquhar to resort on ,may ,day to ,st4 ,bride's ,well1 where each presented nine smooth white stones as an offering to the saint4 ,till about the beginning of the present century1 a well at ,sigget1 in ,aberdeenshire1 was regularly visited on ,pasch ,sunday1 and the usual offerings were left by the pilgrims4 ,there is1 or was a belief at ,chapel-en-le-,frith1 in ,derbyshire1 that on ,easter ,eve a mermaid appears in a certain pool2 and at ,rostherne1 in ,cheshire1 that another mermaid comes out of the lake there on ,easter ,day and rings a bell4 ,mr4 ,moore mentions that in the ,isle of ,man ,ascension ,day and the first ,sunday of ,august were the principal days for visiting consecrated springs4 ,as previously stated1 part of the ,may ,day rites at ,tullie-,beltane1 in ,perthshire1 consisted in drinking water from a spring1 and in walking nine times round it4 ,st4 ,anthony's ,well1 near ,edinburgh1 is not yet forgotten on ,may ,day by people who like to keep up old customs4 ,there is no doubt that of all the months of the year ,may was the one1 when ,scottish springs were most visited4 ,the same rule held elsewhere4 ,in his ,romances of the ,west of ,england1 ,mr4 ,hunt has the following3--,the practice of bathing rickety children on the first three ,wednesdays in ,may is still far from uncommon in the outlying districts of ,cornwall4 ,the parents will walk many miles for the purpose of dipping the little sufferers in some well from which the healing virtue has not entirely departed4 ,among these holy wells1 ,cubert is far famed4 ,to this well the peasantry still resort1 firm in the faith that there1 at this special season1 some mysterious virtue is communicated to its waters4 ,on these occasions1 only a few years since1 the crowd assembled was so large that it assumed the character of a fair4 ,a spring at ,glastonbury1 in ,somerset1 on account of a miraculous cure1 believed to have been wrought by its water1 became specially popular about the middle of last century4 ,in #agea1 as many as ten thousand persons are said to have visited it during the month of ,may4 ,the popularity of ,may did not depend on the better weather following the bleakness of winter and spring4 ,at least1 if it did so1 it was only in a subordinate degree4 ,to find the main reason1 we have to look to the continued influence of ancient pagan rites4 ,as we have seen1 ,may in ,scotland was ushered in by the ,beltane ,festival4 ,we have also seen that its manifestly heathen customs survived till a late period in the midst of a ,christian civilisation4 ,on the hypothesis of a pagan origin alone1 can certain ,may ,day customs and beliefs be satisfactorily explained4 ,some ,beltane rites still survive in the ,highlands1 though fires are no longer kindled4 ,in the neighbourhood of ,kingussie1 ,inverness-shire1 bannocks and hard-boiled eggs continue to be rolled down the hills on the first of ,may 7,o4,s474 ,till quite lately1 these bannocks were used for purposes of divination4 ,they were marked on one side with a cross--the sign of life2 and on the other with a circle--the sign of death4 ,each bannock was rolled down thrice1 and its owner's fate was decided by the sign that was on the upper surface oftenest when the bannock rested at the foot of the hill4 ,the time was counted specially suited for love-charms4 ,on ,may ,day1 in the north of ,england1 a gold ring was dropped into a syllabub composed of various ingredients4 ,whoever got hold of the ring with a ladle would be the first among the company to be married4 ,the prophetic powers of ,may ,day are still believed in1 in some parts of the north of ,ireland4 ,if a maiden places a certain plant below her pillow overnight1 she will have a vision of her coming husband4 ,on ,may ,day1 the supernatural world was revealed1 and witches and other uncanny creatures were abroad4 ,in connection with his visit to ,scotland1 ,pennant says3--,in some parts of the country is a rural sacrifice1 different from that before mentioned4 ,a cross is cut on some sticks1 which is dipped in pottage1 and the ,thursday before ,easter one of each placed over the sheep-cot1 the stable1 or the cow-house4 ,on the first of ,may they are carried to the hill1 where the rites are celebrated1 all decked with wild flowers1 and after the feast is over1 replaced over the spots they were taken from4 ,the cross in this case1 was1 doubtless1 made from the wood of the rowan or mountain ash4 ,in the ,isle of ,man1 it was customary1 at one time1 to gather primroses on ,may ,eve1 and strew them before the door of every house to keep away witches4 ,aubrey tells us3--',tis commonly said in ,germany that the witches do meet in the night before the first day of ,may upon an high mountain called the ,blocksberg1 where they1 together with the devils1 do dance and feast1 and the common people do1 the night before the said day1 fetch a certain thorn and stick it at their house door1 believing the witches can then do them no harm4 ,in our own country1 too1 hawthorn branches were formerly used on ,may ,day as a charm against witches4 ,the hawthorn had likewise another mystic property attributed to it4 ,the dew on its branches on the first of ,may had the power of giving beauty to the maiden who washed her face with it4 ,may-dew from the grass was equally efficacious1 except when gathered from within a fairy ring1 as the fairies would in that case counteract the influence of the charm4 ,a curative power was also ascribed to ,may-dew4 ,till quite lately there was a belief in some parts of ,england that a weakly child would be made strong by being drawn over dewy grass on the morning in question4 ,to effect a complete cure1 the treatment had to be repeated on the two following mornings4 ,dew from the grave of the last person buried in the parish churchyard was counted specially remedial if applied to the affected part before sunrise on ,may-morning4 ,the ,may-sun also got the credit of working cures4 ,in his ,nether ,lochaber the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,stewart tells us that it was an article of belief in the hygiene code of the old highlanders that the invalid suffering under any form of internal ailment1 upon whom the sun of ,may once fairly shed its light1 was pretty sure of a renewed lease of life until at least the next autumnal equinox4 ,the old ,english custom1 known as going a-,maying1 when old and young flocked into the woods early on ,may-morning to gather flowers and green boughs1 was handed on from a time when the worship of trees was an article of religious faith4 ,another old custom in ,england1 viz41 the blowing of horns at an early hour on the first of ,may1 had probably its origin in pre-,christian times4 ,it still survives in ,oxfordshire and ,cornwall4 ,from ,hone's ,every-,day ,book we learn that till the third decade of the present century1 and doubtless later1 the poorer classes in ,edinburgh poured forth at daybreak from street and lane to assemble on ,arthur's ,seat to see the sun rise on ,may-morning4 ,bagpipes and other musical instruments enlivened the scene1 nor were refreshments forgotten4 ,about six o'clock a crowd of citizens of the wealthier class made their appearance1 while the majority of the first-comers returned to the town4 ,at nine o'clock the hill was practically deserted4 ,two centuries earlier an attempt was made by the kirk-session of ,perth to put a stop to an annual gathering on ,may ,day at a cave in the face of ,kinnoul hill adjoining the town4 ,this cave was called the ,dragon ,hole1 and was the scene of ancient rites of a superstitious nature4 ,other illustrations might be selected from the ,folklore of ,may ,day1 but those given above show that the season was held in much superstitious regard4 ,accordingly1 we need not be surprised that well-worship took its place among the rites of ,may ,day1 and of ,may ,month also1 since the whole of ,may was deemed a charmed time4 ,the ,sundays of ,may--particularly the first--were very frequently chosen for visits to consecrated springs4 ,the ,chapel ,wells in ,kirkmaiden parish have already been referred to in connection with ,co' ,sunday4 ,the ,white ,loch of ,merton1 and ,st4 ,anthony's ,spring at ,maybole1 and others that might be named were principally resorted to on the first ,sunday of ,may4 ,indeed1 wells occasionally got their name from the fact of their being visited on ,sundays4 ,thus ,tobordmony1 near ,cushendall1 in ,county ,antrim1 signifies in ,irish the ,sunday ,well4 ,there is a farm in ,athole called ,pit-alt-donich or ,balandonich4 ,the name is derived by ,mr4 ,j4 ,mackintosh ,gow from the ,gaelic ,pit-alt-didon-ich1 and is interpreted by him as meaning the hamlet of the ,sunday burn4 ,there is a spring on the farm1 formerly much frequented on the first ,sunday of ,may 7,o4,s474 ,in the ,isle of ,man is a spring called ,chibber ,lansh1 consisting of three pools4 ,in former times it had a considerable reputation for the cure of sore eyes2 but it was thought to exert its power on ,sundays alone4 ,pilgrims frequently spent ,saturday night beside springs in order to begin the required ritual on the following morning4 ,the question why ,sunday was specially selected is one of interest4 ,its choice may have been due in part to the fact1 mentioned by ,dalyell1 that1 in ruder society1 the precise course of time requires some specific mark1 and in part1 to the notion underlying the popular saying1 the better the day1 the better the deed4 ,but there was undoubtedly another factor in the selection of the day4 ,we have seen that the chief ,church festivals borrowed certain rites from other festivals earlier in the field4 ,in like manner1 ,sunday was the heir of usages quite unconnected with it in origin2 or1 to change the metaphor1 it was a magnet attracting to itself various stray particles of paganism that remained after the break up of the old ,nature-worship4 ,students of ,english history in the seventeenth century cannot fail to remember1 how strenuously the ,puritans sought to put down ,sunday amusements1 and how even the edicts of ,james the ,first and ,charles the ,first permitted only certain games to be played on ,sunday1 certain others being declared inconsistent with the aim of that ,christian festival4 ,bourne1 in his ,popular ,antiquities1 published in #agbe1 remarks3--,in the southern parts of this nation the most of country villages are wont to observe some ,sunday in a more particular manner than the other common ,sundays of the year1 viz41 the ,sunday after the ,day of ,dedication1 i4e41 the ,sunday after the ,day of the ,saint to whom their church was dedicated4 ,then the inhabitants deck themselves in their gaudiest clothes1 and have open doors and splendid entertainments for the reception and treating of their relations and friends who visit them on that occasion from each neighbouring town4 ,the morning is spent for the most part at church1 the remaining part of the day in eating and drinking1 and so is also a day or two afterwards1 together with all sorts of rural pastimes and exercises1 such as dancing on the green1 wrestling1 cudgelling1 c4 ,agreeable to this1 we are told that formerly1 on the ,sunday after the ,encoenia1 or ,feast of the ,dedication of the ,church1 it was usual for a great number of the inhabitants of the village1 both grown and young1 to meet together at break of day1 and to cry1 ',holy ,wakes1 ,holy ,wakes1' and after ,matens go to feasting and sporting1 which they continued for two or three days4 ,quoting from the ,presbyterie ,buik of ,aberdein1 #aith ,june1 #afjg1 in ,m4,s4 ,dalyell observes3--,in the ,north of ,scotland1 young men conducted themselves 'pro phanelie on the ,sabboathes in drinking1 playing at futteball1 dancing1 and passing fra paroche to paroche--and sum passes to ,st4 ,phitallis ,well to the offence of ,god and ewill of mony4' ,in connection with this1 a remark from ,dr4 ,j4 ,a4 ,hessey's ,bampton ,lecture on ,sunday may be quoted4 ,when comparing it with the ,holy days instituted in medival times1 he says1 the former perhaps was even worse observed than the other days1 for in spite of the ,church1 men had a vague impression that it was one of specially allowed intermission of ordinary employments4 ,this they interpreted to mean of more special permission of dissipation than the other days noted in the kalendar4 ,after describing the island of ,valay1 near ,north ,uist1 where there were ,chapels to ,st4 ,ulton and ,st4 ,mary1 ,martin says1 ,below the ,chapel there is a flat thin stone call'd ,brownie's ,stone upon which the antient inhabitants offer'd a cow's milk every ,sunday4 ,that this offering of milk1 though made on ,sundays1 was a pagan and not a ,christian rite1 can hardly be disputed4 ,at some places1 e4g41 at ,glasgow1 ,crail1 and ,seton1 ,sunday was at one time the weekly market day1 but by an ,act of ,james the ,sixth1 in #aegi1 the holding of markets on ,sunday was prohibited throughout the realm4 ,the ,sundays in ,may were certainly the most popular for visits to springs1 but these occurring about the time of the other leading nature-festivals were also in fashion4 ,sun-worship1 as we have seen1 was the back-ground of all such festivals4 ,we need not wonder1 therefore1 that consecrated springs were frequented on a day whose very name suggested a reminiscence of a solar pagan cult4 ,we have discussed ,beltane1 let us now look at one other leading nature-festival1 viz41 ,lammas1 on the first day of ,august1 to discover what light it throws on our subject4 ,the ,church dedicated the opening day of ,august to ,st4 ,peter ad ,vincula4 ,a curious medival legend arose to connect this dedication with another name for the festival1 viz41 the ,gule of ,august4 ,at the heart of this legend was the ,latin word ,gula1 signifying the throat4 ,the daughter of ,quirinus1 a ,roman tribune1 had some disease of the throat which was miraculously cured through kissing ,st4 ,peter's chains1 and so the day of the chains was designated the ,gule of ,august4 ,as a matter of fact1 the word is derived from the ,cymric ,gwyl1 a feast or holiday1 and we have confirmation of the etymology in the circumstance1 that in ,celtic lands the time was devoted to games1 and other recreations4 ,in ,ireland a celebrated fair1 called ,lugnasadh1 was held at ,tailtin 7now ,teltown71 in ,meath1 for several days before and after the first of ,august1 and there was another at ,cruachan1 now ,rath ,croghan1 in ,roscommon4 ,a third was held at ,carman1 now ,wexford4 ,its celebration was deemed so important that1 as ,professor ,rhys tells us1 in his ,celtic ,heathendom1 among the blessings promised to the men of ,leinster from holding it were1 plenty of corn1 fruit1 and milk1 abundance of fish in their lakes and rivers1 domestic prosperity1 and immunity from the yoke of any other province4 ,on the other hand1 the evils to follow from the neglect of this institution were to be failure and early greyness on them and their kings4 ,in legendary accounts of ,carman1 the place has certain funereal associations4 ,if we go into the story of the fair of ,carman1 ,professor ,rhys observes1 we are left in no doubt as to the character of the mythic beings whose power had been brought to an end at the time dedicated to that fair2 they may be said to have represented the blighting chills and fogs that assert their baneful influence on the farmer's crops4 ,to overcome these and other hurtful forces of the same kind1 the prolonged presence of the sun-god was essential1 in order to bring the corn to maturity4 ,that the ,gule of ,august was a ,nature-festival may be further inferred from the fact that among many ,anglo-,saxon peoples it was called ,hlf-msse1 i4e41 ,loaf-mass1 eventually shortened into ,lammas4 ,our ,english ancestors offered on that day bread made from the early grain1 as the first-fruits of the harvest4 ,in ,scotland1 the ,lammas rites were handed down from an unknown past and survived till the middle of last century4 ,they were closely connected with country life1 and were taken part in1 mainly by those who had to do with the tending of cattle4 ,the herds of ,mid-,lothian held ,lammas in special favour4 ,for some weeks prior to that date they busied themselves in building what were called ,lammas towers1 composed of stones and sods4 ,these towers were about seven or eight feet high1 sometimes more4 ,on the day of the festival they were surmounted by a flag formed of a table-napkin decked with ribbons4 ,during the building of the towers attempts were sometimes made by rival parties to throw them down1 and accordingly they had to be kept constantly watched4 ,on ,lenie hill and ,clermiston hill two such towers used to be built1 about two miles apart1 but within sight of each other4 ,these were the respective trysting-places of herds belonging to different portions of ,cramond and ,corstorphine parishes4 ,on ,lammas morning the herds met at their respective towers1 and1 after a breakfast of bread and cheese1 marched to meet each other1 blowing horns1 and having a piper at their head4 ,colours were carried aloft by each party1 and the demand to lower them was the signal for a contest1 which sometimes ended in rather a curious manner4 ,games for small prizes closed the day's proceedings4 ,at one time temporary structures formed of sods and sticks1 and known as ,lammas houses1 were built in ,south ,wales in connection with the festival4 ,inside these a fire was kindled for the roasting of apples4 ,anyone1 by paying a penny1 could enter and have an apple4 ,professor ,rhys speaks of other ,lammas rites in the ,principality4 ,gwyl ,awst1 he observes1 is now a day for fairs in certain parts of ,wales1 and it is remembered1 in central and southern ,cardiganshire1 as one on which the shepherds used1 till comparatively lately1 to have a sort of pic-nic on the hills4 ,one farmer's wife would lend a big kettle for making in it a plentiful supply of good soup or broth1 while1 according to another account1 everybody present had to put his share of fuel on the fire with his own hands4 ,but1 in ,brecknockshire1 the first of ,august seems to have given way sometime before ,catholicism had lost its sway in ,wales1 to the first holiday or feast in ,august2 that is to say1 the first ,sunday in that month4 ,for then crowds of people1 early in the morning1 make their way up the mountains called the ,beacons1 both from the side of ,caermarthenshire and ,glamorgan2 their destination used to be the neighbourhood of the ,little ,van ,lake1 out of whose waters they expected1 in the course of the day1 to see the ,lady of the ,lake make her momentary appearance4 ,professor ,rhys bears further witness to the connection of ,lammas rites with our present subject when he says1 ,a similar shifting from the first of ,august to the first ,sunday in that month1 has1 ,i imagine1 taken place in the ,isle of ,man4 ,for1 though the solstice used to be1 in consequence probably of ,scandinavian influence1 the day of institutional significance in the ,manx summer1 inquiries ,i have made in different parts of the island1 go to show that middle-aged people1 now living1 remember that1 when they were children1 their parents used to ascend the mountains very early on the first ,sunday in ,august 7,o4,s471 and that in some districts at least they were wont to bring home bottles full of water from wells noted for their healing virtues4 ,another proof that the ceremonies of ,lammas-tide had some link with those of archaic ,water-worship is to be found in the circumstance mentioned by ,dalyell1 that1 in ,ireland the inhabitants held it an inviolable custom to drive their cattle into some pool or river on the first ,sunday of ,august as essential to the life of the animals during the year4 ,this was regularly done till towards the end of the seventeenth century4 ,it may be remembered that in ,scotland1 during the same century1 horses were washed in the sea at ,lammas1 doubtless with the same end in view4 ,we shall now glance at some traces of ,sun-worship in the rites of ,well-worship4 ,in countries where the worship of the sun had an acknowledged place in the popular religion1 the temples to that luminary were found associated with fountains4 ,in his ,holy ,land and the ,bible1 the ,rev4 ,j4 ,cunningham ,geikie remarks1 ,the old name of ,bethshemish1 which means the house of the sun1 is now changed to ,ain ,thenis--the fountain of the sun--living water being found in the valley below4 ,both point to the ,philistine ,sun-worship1 and both names are fitting1 for every sun-house or temple needed1 like all other ancient sanctuaries1 a fountain near it to supply water for ablutions and libations4 ,when evidence of this kind fails us1 we have another kind within reach1 viz41 that derived from the employment of fire to symbolise the sun on the principle already explained4 ,at ,st4 ,bede's ,well1 near ,jarrow1 in ,durham1 it used to be customary to kindle a bonfire on ,mid-summer ,eve4 ,in connection with the same festival a bonfire was lighted at ,toddel-,well1 near ,kirkhampton in ,cumberland1 and the lads and lasses1 who were present1 were in the habit of leaping through the flames4 ,in a cave at ,wemyss1 in ,fife1 is a well1 to which young people at one time carried blazing torches on the first ,monday of ,january 7,o4,s474 ,the time of day when consecrated springs were made use of has a bearing on the point under review4 ,the water was thought to have a peculiar efficacy either just after sunset or just before sunrise4 ,the moment when the sun was first seen above the horizon was also reckoned particularly favourable4 ,to the same class of superstitions belongs the ,scandinavian belief1 referred to by ,mr4 ,lloyd in his ,peasant ,life in ,sweden1 that the water of certain sacred springs1 known as ,fonts of the ,cross1 was turned into wine at sunrise4 ,the survival of rites of archaic ,sun-worship in the practice of making a turn sun-ways has been already referred to4 ,in conclusion1 we shall glance at the bearings of the practice on the question of ,well-worship4 ,to make a visit to a spring effectual1 when a cure was wanted1 the invalid had to pace round it from left to right1 in recognition of the fact that the sun moved in the same direction4 ,the sun1 being the source of vitality1 why should not an imitation of its daily motion tend to produce the same result8 ,when speaking of ,loch ,siant ,well1 in ,skye1 ,martin says3--,several of the common people oblige themselves by a vow to come to this well1 and make the ordinary tour about it call'd ,dessil4 ,they move thrice round the well1 proceeding sunways from east to west1 and so on4 ,this is done after drinking of the water4 ,sometimes it was done elsewhere before drinking of the water4 ,the importance of this motion comes clearly into view in the case of ,st4 ,andrew's ,well1 at ,shadar1 in ,lewis1 referred to in a previous chapter4 ,when the wooden dish1 floating on the surface of the water1 turned round sun-ways1 the omen was a sign that the patient concerned would recover1 but a turning in the opposite direction foreboded ill4 ,in reference to ,chapel ,uny ,well1 in ,cornwall1 ,mr4 ,hunt says3--,on the first three ,wednesdays in ,may1 children suffering from mesenteric diseases are dipped three times in this well1 against the sun1 and dragged three times around the well on the grass in the same direction4 ,mr4 ,lloyd tells us that1 in ,sweden1 a remedy for whooping-cough is to drink water1 that drops from a mill-wheel1 which revolves ansols1 that is1 in a contrary direction to the course of the sun4 ,these two examples1 however1 are exceptions to the rule4 ,they may1 perhaps1 be explained on the principle that what is in itself evil1 because contrary to nature1 brings good when converted into a charm4 ,to walk round a well widdershins was to commit an act of sorcery4 ,mr4 ,j4 ,g4 ,barbour1 in his ,unique ,traditions of the ,west and ,south of ,scotland1 recounts the trial and fate of a lonely old woman1 who lived in the ,kirkcudbrightshire parish of ,irongray1 early in the seventeenth century4 ,she was accused of witchcraft1 and1 when convicted of the crime1 met her death by being rolled down hill inside a blazing tar barrel4 ,various were the charges brought against her1 one of them being that1 at certain hours she walked round the spring near her cottage wuddershins4 ,mr4 ,barbour adds1 ,the well1 from which she drew the water for her domestic use1 and where the young rustic belles washed their faces1 still retains the name of the ,witch's ,well4 ,faith in the benefit of turning sun-ways and faith in the efficacy of south-running water belong to the same class of superstitions4 ,both have a direct reference to the sun's course4 ,the water of a stream flowing to meet the sun1 when its mid-day beams are casting their sweet influences upon the earth1 must absorb and retain a power to bless and heal4 ,so1 at least1 men thought1 nor were they slow to take advantage of the virtue that mingled with the water4 ,bodily ailments were cured by washing in it1 and it was used as one of the many remedies to remove the evil effects of witchcraft4 ,in this1 as in the other rites previously alluded to1 we see the influence of a cult that did not pass away1 when the sun ceased to be worshipped as a divinity4 ,in other words1 ,well-worship cannot be adequately understood if we leave out of account archaic ,sun-worship1 and its modern survivals4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,,wishing-,,wells4 ,fulfilment of ,wishes by ,divination--,love ,charms--,hallow ,e'en ,rites1 c4--,wishing ,tree--,wishing ,holes--,st4 ,govan's ,chapel and ,well--,walsingham ,wells--,wishing ,stone in ,st4 ,john's ,well--,healing ,wells and ,wishing ,wells--,st4 ,david's ,well--,bride's ,well--,marriage--,special ,times for ,wishing--,st4 ,warna and ,wrecks--,wishing ,well at ,west ,kilbride--,st4 ,anthony's ,spring4 ,to bring about the accomplishment of a cherished desire by means of certain rites has been a favourite mode of divination4 ,by this method it was thought that destiny could be coerced1 and the wish made the father of its own fulfilment4 ,the means were various2 but1 underlying them all1 was the notion that the doing of something1 in the present1 guaranteed the happening of something in the future4 ,a mere wish was not sufficient4 ,a particular spot1 hallowed by old associations1 had to be visited1 and a time-honoured ceremony observed4 ,but the ritual might be of the simplest4 ,it was perchance to some rustic gate that the village maiden stole in the gathering gloaming1 and there1 with beating heart1 breathed the wish that was to bring a new happiness into her life4 ,love charms1 indeed1 form an important group of wishing superstitions4 ,to this class belong ,hallow ,e'en rites1 such as eating an apple before a mirror1 and sowing hemp seed4 ,these rites gave the maiden a vision of her destined husband4 ,in the one case1 she saw his face in the glass1 and in the other1 she saw him in the attitude of pulling hemp4 ,the dumb-cake divination1 on the ,eves of ,st4 ,mark and ,st4 ,john1 also belongs to the same class of charms4 ,not more than three must take part in the mystical ceremony4 ,concerning the cake1 an ,english rule says3-- ,two make it1 ,two bake it1 ,two break it1 and the third must put it under each of their pillows1 but not a word must be spoken all the time4 ,fasting on ,st4 ,agnes's ,eve was requisite on the part of any maiden1 who sought on that festival to have a vision of her bridegroom to be4 ,according to an old ,galloway custom1 a maiden pulled a handful of grass when she first saw the new moon4 ,while she pulled she repeated the rhyme-- ,new moon1 new moon1 tell me if you can1 ,gif ,i have a hair like the hair o' my gudeman4 ,the grass was then taken into the house1 and carefully examined4 ,if a hair was found amongst the grass1 it would correspond in colour with the hair of the coming husband4 ,in connection with all such charms1 it is certainly true what an old song says that love hath eyes4 ,her ,majesty the ,queen visited ,innis ,maree in ,september1 #ahgg4 ,when describing her visit1 ,mr4 ,dixon1 in his ,gairloch1 says3--,she fixed her offering in the wishing tree1 a pleasantry which most visitors to the island repeat1 it being common report that a wish silently formed1 when any metal article is attached to the tree1 will certainly be realised4 ,it is said that if anyone removes any offering that has been fixed on the tree1 some misfortune1 probably the taking fire of the house of the desecrator1 is sure to follow4 ,on a hill near ,abbotsbury1 in ,dorset1 stands ,st4 ,catherine's ,chapel4 ,in its south doorway are wishing holes4 ,the knee is placed in one of the holes1 and the hands in the two above2 and in this posture the visitor performs the wishing ceremony4 ,half-way down the cliff near ,stackpole ,head1 in ,pembrokeshire1 is an ancient structure of rude masonry styled ,st4 ,govan's ,chapel1 at one time the retreat of some recluse4 ,professor ,cosmo ,innes1 in the third volume of the ,proceedings of the ,society of ,antiquaries of ,scotland1 gives an account of a visit to the spot1 and adds3--,the curious part of ,st4 ,govan's abode is his bed1 or rather his coffin1 for it is a vertical interstice between two immense slabs of rock1 into which a body of common size can be forced with some difficulty1 the prisoner remaining upright4 ,the rock is polished by the number of visitors fitting themselves into the saint's bed of penance1 and the natives make you feel in the inner surface the indentures caused by the ribs of the saint6 ,the polishing is mainly due to the fact that the space has for long been used for wishing purposes4 ,those who desire to test the efficacy of the spell must turn themselves round within the hollow and think of nothing else during the process1 except what they are wishing for--a rather difficult test under the circumstances6 ,close to the chapel is ,st4 ,govan's ,well1 under a covering of stone-work4 ,the spring had formerly a great reputation as a health resort4 ,beside the remains of the once splendid monastic buildings at ,walsingham1 in ,norfolk1 are wishing wells consisting of two small circular basins of stone4 ,in pre-,reformation times they were much resorted to for the cure of disease4 ,being close to ,st4 ,mary's ,chapel1 they were appropriately dedicated to the ,virgin1 to whom the gift of healing was ascribed4 ,since then they have been popular as wishing wells4 ,the necessary ritual is thus described by ,brand in his ,popular ,antiquities3--,the votary1 with a due qualification of faith and pious awe1 must apply the right knee1 bare1 to a stone placed for that purpose between the wells4 ,he must then plunge to the wrist each hand1 bare also1 into the water of the wells which are near enough to admit of this immersion4 ,a wish must then be formed1 but not uttered with the lips1 either at the time or afterwards1 even in confidential communication to the dearest friend4 ,the hands are then to be withdrawn1 and as much of the water as can be contained in the hollow of each is to be swallowed4 ,formerly the object of desire was most probably expressed in a prayer to the ,virgin4 ,it is now only a silent wish1 which will certainly be accomplished within twelve months1 if the efficacy of the solemn rite be not frustrated by the incredulity or some other fault of the votary4 ,pennant tells of a cistern connected with ,st4 ,john's ,well1 near ,moxley ,nunnery1 at one time much used for bathing4 ,near these1 and below the surface of the water1 was a piece of rock called the ,wishing ,stone4 ,anyone who kissed this stone with firm belief in the efficacy of the charm would have his desire granted4 ,in this case the power of securing the fulfilment of wishes went hand in hand with the power of curing diseases4 ,generally speaking1 however1 as in the case of ,walsingham just mentioned1 the former power supersedes the latter4 ,in other words1 healing wells are transformed into wishing wells4 ,when such is the case1 they are1 as far as folklore is concerned1 in the last stage of their history4 ,in the wood1 clothing the steep hill of ,weem1 in ,perthshire1 is ,st4 ,david's ,well1 said to be named after a former laird who turned hermit4 ,the spring has a considerable local fame1 and many have been the wishes silently breathed over its water4 ,part of an ancient stone cross lies at its margin1 and on it the visitor kneels while framing his or her wish4 ,visitors to wishing wells commonly drop into the water a coin1 pin1 or pebble1 thus keeping up1 usually without being aware of the fact1 the custom of offering a gift to the genius loci4 ,the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,gregor thus describes what was dropped into the ,bride's ,well1 in the neighbourhood of ,corgarff1 ,aberdeenshire3--,this well was at one time the favourite resort of all brides for miles around4 ,on the evening before the marriage1 the bride1 accompanied by her maidens1 went 'atween the sun an' the sky' to it4 ,the maidens bathed her feet and the upper part of her body with water drawn from it4 ,this bathing ensured a family4 ,the bride put into the well a few crumbs of bread and cheese1 to keep her children from ever being in want4 ,desires of any kind may be cherished at wishing-wells1 but there is no doubt that matters matrimonial usually give direction to the thoughts4 ,according to a ,yorkshire belief1 whoever drops five white pebbles into the ,ouse1 near the county town1 when the minster clock strikes one on ,may morning1 will see on the surface of the water whatever he or she wishes4 ,near ,dale ,abbey1 in ,derbyshire1 is a certain holy well4 ,to get full advantage of its help1 one has to go between the hours of twelve and three on ,good ,friday1 drink the water thrice1 and wish4 ,there is no doubt about the meaning of the following lines from the ,bard of ,dimbovitza1 a collection of ,roumanian ,folk-,songs3-- ,there1 where on ,sundays ,i go alone1 ,to the old1 old well with the milk-white stone1 ,where by the fence1 in a nook forgot1 ,rises a ,spring in the daisied grass1 ,that makes whoso drinks of it love--alas6 ,my heart's best belovd1 he drinks it not4 ,in ,sir ,walter ,scott's ,pirate one of the characters expresses the wish that providence would soon send a wreck to gladden the hearts of the ,shetlanders4 ,at the other extremity of ,britain1 viz41 in the ,scilly ,isles1 the same hope was at one time cherished4 ,st4 ,warna1 who had to do with wrecks1 was the patron saint of ,st4 ,agnes1 one of the islands of the group4 ,she had her holy well1 and there the natives anciently dropped in a crooked pin and invoked the saint to send them a rich wreck4 ,it would be useless to attempt to give a list of ,scottish wishing-wells2 but the following may be mentioned4 ,there is one in ,west ,kilbride parish1 ,ayrshire1 close to a cave at ,hunterston4 ,there is another at ,ardmore1 in ,dumbartonshire4 ,at ,rait1 in ,perthshire1 is ,st4 ,peter's ,wishing-well4 ,in the united parishes of ,kilcalmonell and ,kilberry1 in ,argyllshire1 is the ancient ecclesiastical site of ,kilanaish4 ,near the burial-ground1 ,captain ,white tells us1 is its holy well1 where it is proper to wish the usual three wishes1 which1 on my last visit to the place1 our party1 including one lady1 devoutly did4 ,the same writer gives the following particulars about another ,argyllshire spring3--,near the ,abbey of ,saddell1 ,kintyre1 is a fine spring of the class known throughout ,scotland as ,wishing-wells1 which has always borne the name of ,holy-well4 ,it had the usual virtues and wishing powers ascribed to it4 ,a pretty little pillar with cross cut upon it which has been mistaken for one of ancient date is scooped out into a small basin to catch the drip of the water4 ,it was erected by a ,bishop ,brown1 when residing at ,saddell1 in the beginning of the present century1 to replace another one that had formerly stood there4 ,beside it1 flows a stream called ,alt-nam-,manach 7the ,monk's ,burn71 and this1 with the spring1 no doubt formed the water supply of the monastery4 ,st4 ,anthony's ,well1 beside ,st4 ,anthony's ruined ,chapel1 near ,edinburgh1 is probably the best known of ,scottish wishing-wells4 ,its sanative virtues have already been alluded to1 but it is nowadays more noted for its power of securing the fulfilment of wishes than the recovery of health4 ,a pleasant picture of the romantic spot is given by ,sir ,daniel ,wilson in his ,memorials of ,edinburgh in the ,olden ,time3--,the ancient ,hermitage and ,chapel of ,st4 ,anthony1 underneath the overhanging crags of ,arthur's ,seat1 are believed to have formed a dependency of the preceptory at ,leith1 and to have been placed there1 to catch the seaman's eye as he entered the ,firth1 or departed on some long and perilous voyage2 when his vows and offerings would be most freely made to the patron saint1 and the hermit who ministered at his altar4 ,no record1 however1 now remains to add to the tradition of its dedication to ,st4 ,anthony2 but the silver stream1 celebrated in the plaintive old song1 ',o waly1 waly up yon bank1' still wells clearly forth at the foot of the rock1 filling the little basin of ,st4 ,anthony's ,well1 and rippling pleasantly through the long grass into the lower valley4 ,the song in question gives expression to the grief of ,lady ,barbara ,erskine1 wife of ,james1 ,marquis of ,douglas1 in the time of ,charles ,,ii41 in connection with her desertion by her husband-- #a4 ,o waly1 waly up the bank ,and waly1 waly down the brae1 ,and waly1 waly yon burnside1 ,where ,i and my love wont to gae6 ,i lean'd my back unto an aik1 ,i thoucht it was a trusty tree2 ,but first it bow'd1 and syne it brak3 ,sae my true love did lichtly me4 #b4 ,o waly1 waly1 but love be bonnie ,a little time while it is new2 ,but when it's auld1 it waxes cauld1 ,and fades away like morning dew4 ,o wherefore should ,i busk my heid1 ,or wherefore should ,i kame my hair8 ,for my true love has me forsook1 ,and says he'll never love me mair4 #c4 ,now ,arthur's ,seat shall be my bed1 ,the sheets shall ne'er be pressed by me4 ,st4 ,anton's ,well shall be my drink ,since my true love has forsaken me4 ,martinmas wind1 when wilt thou blaw1 ,and shake the green leaves aff the tree8 ,o gentle death6 when wilt thou come8 ,for of my life ,i am wearie6 #d4 ',tis not the frost that freezes fell ,nor blawing snaw's inclemencie2 ',tis not sic cauld that makes me cry1 ,but my love's heart's grown cauld to me4 ,when we came in by ,glasgow toun ,we were a comely sicht to see2 ,my love was clad in the black velvet1 ,and ,i mysel in cramasie4 #e4 ,but had ,i wist1 before ,i kissed1 ,that love had been sae ill to win1 ,i'd lock'd my heart in a case of gold1 ,and pinn'd it wi' a siller pin4 ,o6 oh6 if my young babe were born1 ,and set upon the nurse's knee4 ,and ,i mysel were dead and gane1 ,and the green grass growing over me6 ,fortunately1 the associations of ,st4 ,anthony's ,well have not all been so sad as the above4 ,many a hopeful moment has been passed beside its margin4 ,a little girl from ,aberdeenshire1 when on a visit to friends in ,edinburgh1 made trial of the sacred spring4 ,she was cautioned not to tell anyone what her wish was1 else the charm would have no effect4 ,on her return home1 however1 her eagerness to know whether the wish had1 in the meantime1 been fulfilled1 quite overcame her ability to keep the secret4 ,her first words were1 ,has the pony come8 ,st4 ,anthony must have been in good humour with the child1 for he provided the pony1 thus evidently condoning the breach of silence in deference to her youth4 ,surely there must be something in wishing-wells1 after all1 besides water4 ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,,meaning ,,of ,,marvels4 ,mystery of a ,spring--,marvel and ,magic--,misinterpretation of ,natural ,phenomena--,healing ,power of ,springs--,peterhead--,poetry and ,superstition--,mac,culloch--,mistake about a ,tree--,strange ,appearances of ,nature--,spring at ,kintail--,disappearance of ,spring near ,perth--,saints and ,storms--,st4 ,milburga--,water like ,blood--,origin of ,belief in ,guardian ,spirits--,why ,gifts were ,offered--,weather ,charms--,coincidences--,prophecy of ,water--,philosophy of ,wishing ,wells--,worship of ,trees and ,springs--,charm-,stones--,continued ,reverence for ,holy ,wells--,conclusion4 ,mr4 ,j4 ,m4 ,barrie is a true interpreter of the youthful mind when he says1 in the ,little ,minister1 ,children like to peer into wells to see what the world is like at the other side4 ,grown-up people are also alive to the mystery of a spring4 ,look into its depth1 observes ,mr4 ,e4 ,h4 ,barker in his ,wayfaring in ,france1 until the eye1 getting reconciled to the darkness1 catches the gleam of the still water far below the ferns that hang from the gaping places in the mossy wall1 and you will find yourself spellbound by the great enchantress1 ,nature1 while understanding nothing of the mysterious influence4 ,in days of less enlightenment the weight of all this unintelligible world was even more felt than now1 and the minds of men were ever on the outlook for the marvellous4 ,what is to us a source of not unpleasing mystery was then a cause of dread4 ,we marvel and make poetry4 ,our far-off ancestors trembled and sought refuge in magical rites4 ,we still speak of the charms of nature1 but the phrase has to us an altered meaning4 ,when we remember how little science there was at one time1 we need not be surprised that the phenomena of the outer world were misinterpreted1 and hence gave rise to fallacies4 ,this was markedly so in the case of springs4 ,while quenching thirst--a natural function to perform--they became endowed with virtues of an exceptional character1 and were esteemed as the givers of health4 ,even amid the darkness of those distant days we can detect a glimmering of light1 for such ideas were not wholly false4 ,erroneous ideas seldom are4 ,springs have indeed a health-giving power4 ,whether or not we accept the full-blown doctrines of modern hydropathy1 we must allow that cold water is an excellent tonic4 ,as an acute writer has remarked1 ,cold braces the nerves and muscles1 and1 by strengthening the glands1 promotes secretion and circulation1 the two grand ministers of health4 ,allusion has been made to the mineral waters of ,peterhead4 ,the secret of their power is well described by ,cordiner in his ,antiquities and ,scenery of the ,north of ,scotland1 where he says3--,a mineral well in the summer months gives great gaiety to the place2 its salutary virtues have been long1 ,i believe1 justly celebrated4 ,the salt-water baths adjoining are much frequented in nervous disorders3 their effect in strengthening the constitution is often surprising4 ,owing to the open peninsulated situation1 the air of this place is esteemed peculiarly pure and healthful2 even the fogs rising from the sea are thought to be medicinal2 the town is therefore much enlivened by the concourse of company who frequent it on these accounts4 ,without derogating anything from the merits of the baths and mineral1 one may reasonably conclude that the custom of walking several hours before breakfast1 and meeting the morning breezes from the sea along these cool and refreshing shores1 the probability of meeting with choice of companions as an inducement to these early rambles1 the perpetual cheerfulness indulged by society entirely disengaged from business and care1 and their various inventions to chase away languor1 probably contribute no less to the health of the company than the peculiar virtues of the healing spring4 ,truth can commonly be found underlying superstition4 ,the power1 possessed by certain aspects of external nature to soothe the troubles of the mind1 is one of the commonplaces of modern poetry4 ,this thought1 when rendered into folklore1 becomes the idea that certain spots are places of safety from supernatural visitants4 ,such was the belief connected with ,our ,lady's ,well1 at ,threshfield1 near ,linton1 in ,craven1 ,yorkshire4 ,whoever took refuge there was free from the power of magical spells4 ,when sailing among the sea-lochs of ,lewis1 ,mac,culloch had an experience which he thus describes in his ,western ,islands3--,on one occasion the water was like a mirror1 but black as jet1 from its depth and from the shadow of the high cliffs which overhung it4 ,the tide1 flowing with the rapidity of a torrent1 glided past without a ripple to indicate its movement1 while the sail aloft was filled by a breeze that did not reach the surface4 ,there was a death-like silence while the boat shot along under the dark rocks like an arrow2 to a poetical imagination it might have appeared under a supernatural influence3 like the bark of ,dante1 angel-borne4 ,if such were the reflections of an educated man like ,mac,culloch1 what must have been the thoughts of our ignorant forefathers when confronted by the ever-recurring marvels of the outer world6 ,nature is still misinterpreted by credulous people through a lack of knowledge of her laws4 ,a good example of this1 bearing1 not1 however1 on water1 but on tree-worship1 is given by ,dr4 ,j4 ,fergusson1 in his ,tree and ,serpent ,worship4 ,a god was said to have appeared in a certain date-palm in a village a few miles from ,tessore1 and the tree was promptly adorned by the ,brahmins with garlands and offerings4 ,dr4 ,fergusson observes3--,on my inquiring how the god manifested his presence1 ,i was informed that1 soon after the sun rose in the morning1 the tree raised its head to welcome him1 and bowed it down again when he departed4 ,as this was a miracle easily tested1 ,i returned at noon and found it was so4 ,after a little study and investigation1 the mystery did not seem difficult of explanation4 ,the tree had originally grown across the principal pathway through the village1 but at last hung so low that1 in order to enable people to pass under it1 it had been turned aside and fastened parallel to the road4 ,in the operation the bundle of fibres which composed the root had become twisted like the strands of a rope4 ,when the morning sun struck on the upper surface of them1 they contracted in drying1 and hence a tendency to untwist1 which raised the head of the tree4 ,with the evening dews they relaxed1 and the head of the tree declined4 ,in the chapter on ,some ,wonderful ,wells1 we glanced at the mysterious origin of certain springs4 ,in ancient times1 no less than in the present1 strange sights must have been witnessed4 ,we have not a monopoly of thunderstorms1 earthquakes1 landslips1 or deluges of rain4 ,the same phenomena prevailed in early times4 ,the difference is1 that we have science to keep them in their proper place4 ,during the heavy rains of ,january #ahib1 a spring near the house of ,rurach1 at ,kintail1 in ,ross-shire1 suddenly burst its bounds and became a raging torrent4 ,usually the surplus water from the spring flowed away in the form of a trickling stream1 but on the occasion in question it rushed on with such force and volume that it scooped out a channel twenty feet deep and forty feet broad4 ,the event not unnaturally caused a good deal of wonder in the neighbourhood4 ,had it happened several centuries earlier1 some malignant water-spirit would doubtless have been reckoned the active agent4 ,during the operations connected with the formation of the railway tunnel through ,moncrieff ,hill1 close to ,perth1 the water of a certain spring in the neighbourhood suddenly failed4 ,it happened that a clergyman1 whose manse stood not far from the spring1 sent1 when in the extremity of illness1 for a draught of its water4 ,it was his last draught4 ,he died immediately after2 and at the same time1 the spring dried up4 ,the coincidence did not pass without remark in the district1 but whether or not it gave rise to a superstition we do not know4 ,in the dark ages it certainly would have done so4 ,in the annals of hagiology1 the early saints were associated in a special way with water4 ,they had1 for instance1 the power of allaying storms4 ,st4 ,nicholas1 the patron saint of sailors1 exercised this power more than once4 ,adamnan records the same miracle in connection with ,columba1 abbot of ,iona2 and ,cainneck1 abbot of ,aghaboe4 ,according to a ,shropshire legend1 ,milburga1 when followed by a certain prince1 was saved from her unwelcome pursuer by the river ,corve rising in flood after she had crossed4 ,the superstition that water1 under certain circumstances1 assumed the hue of blood1 as in the case of ,st4 ,tredwell's ,loch in ,orkney1 c41 claims special attention4 ,we call this belief a superstition1 inasmuch as a special miracle was thought to be involved in the matter2 but we nowadays know1 that such appearances show themselves without any miracle at all1 except the constant miracle without which there would be no natural law4 ,modern bacteriology has proved the existence of a certain microscopic plant1 technically styled ,hmatococcus ,pluvialis and popularly known in ,germany as ,blutalge4 ,in ,notes and ,queries for #abth ,march1 #ahib1 ,dr4 ,g4 ,h4 ,f4 ,nuttall of ,baltimore1 observes3--,in ,central ,europe it has been found in pools formed by the rain in rocky hollows and stone troughs1 c4 ,hmatococcus often becomes intimately mixed with the pollen of conifers and minute particles of plants which are known to be carried hundreds of miles by occasional currents of air4 ,the rain drops in the heavens condense about such minute particles1 and in falling1 carry them down to the earth's surface1 where1 under proper conditions1 these little plants multiply with enormous rapidity4 ,dr4 ,nuttall adds1 ,besides the ,hmatococcus ,pluvialis1 we have a ,bacterium which has often deceived people into the belief that they were dealing with bona-fide blood4 ,this ,bacterium is easily cultivated in the laboratory4 ,it is one of the so-called chromogenic or colour-producing ,bacteria1 and bears the name ,bacillus ,prodigiosus1 on account of its exceedingly rapid growth4 ,this very minute plant has undoubtedly been the cause of terror among superstitious people4 ,the organism will only produce its colour in the presence of oxygen1 and1 as a consequence1 red spots appear only on the surface of the moist nutrient medium on which it may fall4 ,undoubtedly some such explanation would account for certain red spots1 alluded to by ,mr4 ,hunt1 which appeared from time to time on the stones in the churchyard of the ,cornish parish of ,st4 ,denis4 ,according to the belief of the district1 the spots were marks of blood1 and their appearance foretold the occurrence of some untoward event in ,english history4 ,we have spoken of the guardian spirits of lochs and springs4 ,that such spirits should have been thought to exist is not surprising4 ,since water is one of the necessaries of life for man and beast1 animals had to frequent pools and rivers4 ,what more natural than that1 in days of ignorance1 these animals should have been regarded as in some mysterious way connected with the spots they frequented4 ,in the same way1 fish darting about in the water would be considered its indwelling spirits4 ,it may not seem to us at all needful1 that lochs and springs should have guardian spirits at all4 ,but man1 in a certain stage of development1 thinks of nature1 organic and inorganic alike1 as having a life akin to his own1 with powers superior to his own4 ,from a belief in guardian spirits1 to a belief in the necessity of offering gifts to them is an easy transition4 ,a present is sometimes an expression of good-will1 sometimes of a desire to obtain benefits to the giver4 ,offerings at lochs and springs were undoubtedly of the latter class1 and were intended either to avert evil or to procure good4 ,in ancient times in ,india1 when a dragon presided over a spring1 the people of the district were in the habit of invoking his aid1 when they wanted rain or fine weather4 ,certain ceremonies were necessary to procure the boon4 ,the chief characteristic of the serpents throughout the ,east in all ages1 remarks ,dr4 ,fergusson1 seems to have been their power over the wind and the rain1 which they exert for either good or evil as their disposition prompts4 ,as we have seen1 certain wells in our own land could control the weather4 ,this was so1 even when the guardian spirit of the spring assumed no definite shape4 ,the rites required to obtain the desired object were nothing less than an acknowledgment of the spirit's existence4 ,the origin of the connection between weather and wells can only be guessed at4 ,it appears that the splashing of a spring when an object was thrown into it1 or the sprinkling of the water over the neighbouring ground1 was thought to cause rain1 through what may be called a dramatic representation of a shower4 ,why this should have been so1 cannot be determined with certainty4 ,probably accidental acts of the kind described were followed1 in some instances1 by a fall of rain1 and the belief may have sprung up that between the two there existed the relation of cause and effect4 ,there was thus a confusion between what logicians call the post hoc and the propter hoc4 ,the same explanation may perhaps account for the belief that a favourable breeze could be obtained1 as in the case of the ,gigha ,well1 by the performance of certain definite rites4 ,few circumstances in life have more power to arrest attention than coincidences4 ,two events occur about the same time1 and we exclaim1 ,what a singular coincidence6 that is1 if we are not of a superstitious temperament4 ,if we are1 we talk mysteriously about omens and such like direful topics4 ,to some minds1 an omen has a peculiar fascination4 ,it lifts them above the level of their ordinary daily life4 ,the postman rings the bell1 and letters are handed in4 ,a message boy is seen at the door1 and a parcel is delivered4 ,these1 and many more such1 are incidents of frequent occurrence4 ,they are reckoned commonplace4 ,we know all about them4 ,but let anything unusual happen1 anything that stirs the sense of awe within us1 we1 at least some of us1 instantly conclude that there is magic in the matter4 ,an unprepossessing old woman takes a look at a child when passing4 ,the child ceases to thrive4 ,there are whispers about the evil eye4 ,yes1 there is no doubt about it4 ,the child must have been bewitched4 ,is it not probable that the prophetic power ascribed to wells may be accounted for on this principle8 ,certain appearances were observed1 and certain events followed4 ,water gushed freely from a spring1 when drawn for the use of an invalid4 ,the invalid recovered4 ,of course he did1 for the omen was favourable4 ,as in private1 so in public matters4 ,pools of water were observed to have something peculiar about them4 ,some crisis in the history of our nation soon succeeded4 ,what sensible person could fail to discern a connection between the two sets of circumstances8 ,so men1 even some wise ones1 have argued4 ,wishing-wells1 from their very nature1 have a special claim on popular credulity4 ,when a desire is eagerly cherished1 we leave no stone unturned to bring about its fulfilment4 ,there is something1 be it what it may1 that we eagerly covet4 ,how are we to get it8 ,in the stir and pressure of our day's work1 we do not see any avenue leading to the fulfilment of our wish4 ,in the quiet morning or evening1 when the birds are singing overhead1 we go alone to some woodland well1 and there1 by the margin1 gather our thoughts together4 ,one particular thought lies close to our heart1 and on it we fix our attention4 ,in the still moments1 while we listen to the bubbling spring1 our mind lights on a clew1 and our thoughts follow it into the future4 ,we brace ourselves up for following it in reality4 ,we see how our design may be accomplished4 ,we take the road that has been revealed to our inward eye1 and finally reach the goal of our desire4 ,how does this come about8 ,we may have stooped over the spring1 and with certain accompanying rites1 have breathed our wish4 ,we return to our daily work with the desire still lying close to our heart4 ,days1 or weeks1 or months pass1 and at last1 behold1 what we were so anxious for1 is ours6 ,the charm has been successful4 ,of course it has4 ,but what of the impulse towards definite action that came to us1 when we were free from the touch of our ordinary troubles1 and quiet-voiced ,nature was our teacher and our own soul our prophet8 ,at any rate1 we went to the wishing well1 and the boon we sought we can now call our own4 ,the question remains1 are all desires granted1 either through visits to wishing-wells or in any other way8 ,the experiences of life give a definite answer in the negative4 ,how then are believers in the power of wishing-wells to account for such failures8 ,the rites were duly attended to1 yet there was no result4 ,why was the charm not effectual8 ,any sincere answer to the question ought to be an acknowledgment of ignorance4 ,in thus attempting to explain the philosophy of wishing-wells1 we do not imply that the subjective element is the secret of success in every case4 ,we are merely pointing out that it may be so in some cases4 ,in other cases1 according to the principle mentioned above1 an explanation will be supplied by the theory of coincidences4 ,when trees and springs were alike reckoned divinities1 it was natural enough to conclude1 that any tree1 overshadowing a spring1 was somehow mysteriously connected with it4 ,belief in such mysterious relations continued1 as we have seen1 even after tree-worship ceased as a popular cult4 ,certain superstitions1 still in vogue in the west1 are undoubtedly relics of tree-worship4 ,in ,india and some other ,eastern lands1 the cult still nourishes vigorously4 ,a writer in the ,cornhill ,magazine for ,november1 #ahgb1 remarks3--,the contrast between the acknowledged hatred of trees as a rule by the ,bygas 7an important tribe in ,central ,india71 and their deep veneration for certain others in particular1 is very curious4 ,i have seen the hillsides swept clear of forests for miles1 with but here and there a solitary tree left standing4 ,these remain now the objects of the deepest veneration2 so far from being injured1 they are carefully preserved1 and receive offerings of food1 clothes1 and flowers1 from the passing ,bygas1 who firmly believe that tree to be the home of a spirit4 ,we need not linger over the consideration of charm-stones in their connection with wells4 ,in some instances1 like that of the ,lee ,penny1 they gave efficacy to water as a healing agent2 but in others1 as in the case of the ,loch ,torridon ,spring1 water gave efficacy to them4 ,indeed1 they acted and reacted on each other in such a way that1 in some instances1 it is difficult to determine whether the talisman brought healing virtue to the water1 or vice versa4 ,to find the solution of the problem1 we should have to carry our thoughts back to the remote days when stones and wells had a life of their own1 and were thus qualified to act independently4 ,one can understand why holy wells retained their popularity4 ,even though they did not always effect a cure1 people continued to believe in them and to seek their aid4 ,consecrated springs might throw cold water 7metaphorically7 on many a cherished hope2 but1 for all that1 they remained1 as of old1 objects of reverence4 ,the secret of their power lay in their appeal to the imagination4 ,understanding might say1 it is absurd to expect that my ailment can be removed in this way2 but imagination protested that there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamed of in my philosophy4 ,the rites to be gone through--the choice of the fitting season1 the keeping of silence1 the leaving of a gift--all conduced to throw a halo of romance around the practice4 ,there was thus an appeal to the unknown and mysterious1 that gave to well-worship a strange charm4 ,it stirred up any latent poetry in a man's nature1 and linked him to something beyond himself4 ,springs have a double charm4 ,they are interesting for their own sake1 and for the sake of the folklore that has gathered round them4 ,they are like roses1 beautiful in themselves1 that add to their own perfection the exquisite loveliness of a mossy dell4 ,in conclusion1 take away what is distinctively medival in well-worship1 and paganism is left4 ,we find this paganism entering like a wedge into the substance of a ,christian civilisation4 ,it may have changed its colour1 but it is paganism notwithstanding4 ,well-worship has a definite value as a survival4 ,it serves to unite our own age of science with one in the far past1 when laws of nature1 as we understand them1 were unknown4 ,as a cult it has forsaken the busy haunts of men1 but lingers still in quiet places1 especially among the mountains4 ,superstitions die hard4 ,the epitaph of this one has still to be written4 ,those who are waiting for its last breath need not be surprised if they have to wait yet a while4