your face at sunrise on May 1st, with dew collected off the top of Arthur’s Seat, you would be beautiful for ever.  We were either too late or too soon, as it was now October 9th, and as we had a lot to see on that day, with not overmuch time to see it in, we left the dew to the ladies, feeling certain, however, that they would be more likely to find it there in October than on May Day.  When we had walked about five miles, we turned off the main road to visit the pretty village of Rosslyn, or Roslin, with its three great attractions:  the chapel, the castle, and the dell.  We found it surrounded by woods and watered by a very pretty reach of the River Esk, and as full of history as almost any place in Scotland.

The unique chapel was the great object of interest.  The guide informed us that it was founded in 1446 by William St. Clair, who also built the castle, in which he resided in princely splendour.  He must have been a person of very great importance, for he had titles enough even to weary a Spaniard, being Prince of Orkney, Duke of Oldenburg, Earl of Caithness and Stratherne, Lord St. Clair, Lord Liddlesdale, Lord Admiral of the Scottish Seas, Lord Chief Justice of Scotland, Lord Warden of the three Marches, Baron of Roslin, Knight of the Cockle, and High Chancellor, Chamberlain, and Lieutenant of Scotland!

The lords of Rosslyn were buried in their complete armour beneath the chapel floor up to the year 1650, but afterwards in coffins.  Sir Walter Scott refers to them in his “Lay of the Last Minstrel” thus:—­

  There are twenty of Rosslyn’s Barons bold
  Lie buried within that proud Chapelle.

[Illustration:  ROSSLYN CHAPEL—­THE “MASTER AND ’PRENTICE PILLARS”]

[Illustration:  THE “’PRENTICE PILLAR.”]

There were more carvings in Rosslyn Chapel than in any place of equal size that we saw in all our wanderings, finely executed, and with every small detail beautifully finished and exquisitely carved.  Foliage, flowers, and ferns abounded, and religious allegories, such as the Seven Acts of Mercy, the Seven Deadly Sins, the Dance of Death, and many scenes from the Scriptures; it was thought that the original idea had been to represent a Bible in stone.  The great object of interest was the magnificently carved pillar known as the “’Prentice Pillar,” and in the chapel were two carved heads, each of them showing a deep scar on the right temple.  To these, as well as the pillar, a melancholy memory was attached, from which it appeared that the master mason received orders that this pillar should be of exquisite workmanship and design.  Fearing his inability to carry out his instructions, he went abroad to Rome to see what designs he could find for its execution.  While he was away his apprentice had a dream in which he saw a most beautiful column, and, setting to work at once to carry out the design of his dream, finished the pillar, a perfect marvel of workmanship.  When his master returned and found the pillar completed, he was so envious and enraged at the success of his apprentice that he struck him on the head with his mallet with such force that he killed him on the spot, a crime for which he was afterwards executed.