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THE MIRROR
OF
LITERATURE, AMUSEMENT, AND INSTRUCTION.

MELROSE ABBEY

These venerable ruins stand upon the southern bank of the Tweed, inRoxburghshire. The domestic buildings of the monastery are entirelygone; but the remains of the church connected with, as seen in the aboveEngraving, are described by Mr. Chambers¹ as "thefinest specimen of Gothic architecture and Gothic sculpture of whichthis country (Scotland) can boast. By singular good fortune, Melrose isalso one of the most entire, as it is the most beautiful, of all theecclesiastical ruins scattered throughout this reformed land. To saythat it is beautiful, is to say nothing. It isexquisitely—splendidly lovely. It is an object of infinite graceand immeasurable charm; it is fine in its general aspect and in itsminutest details; it is a study—a glory." We confess ourselvesdelighted with Mr. Chambers's well-directed enthusiasm.

A page of interesting facts towardsthe history of the Abbey will be foundappended to the "Recollections" of arecent visit by one of our esteemed Correspondents,in The Mirror, vol. x.,p. 445. In the present view, the ornateGothic style of the building is seen toadvantage, but more especially the richnessof the windows, and the nichesabove them: the latter, from drawingsmade "early in the reign of King William,"were originally filled with statues;and, connected with the destruction ofsome of them, Mr. Chambers relates thefollowing anecdote "told by the personwho shows Melrose:"

"On the eastern window of thechurch, there were formerly thirteeneffigies, supposed to represent our Saviourand his apostles. These, harmlessand beautiful as they were, happened toprovoke the wrath of a praying weaverin Gattonside, who, in a moment of inspiredzeal, went up one night by meansof a ladder, and with a hammer andchisel, knocked off the heads and limbsof the figures. Next morning he madeno scruple to publish the transaction,observing, with a great deal of exultation,to every person whom he met, that hehad 'fairly stumpet thae vile paipistdirt nou!' The people sometimes catch[pg 242]up a remarkable word when uttered ona remarkable occasion by one of theirnumber, and turn the utterer into ridicule,by attaching it to him as a nickname;and it is some consolation tothink that this monster was thereforetreated with the sobriquet of 'Stumpie,'and of course carried it about with himto his grave."

The exquisite beauty and elaborateornament of Melrose can, according tothe entertaining work already quoted,be told only in a volume of prose; but,as compression is the spirit of truepoetry, we quote the following descriptivelines: