’"In this meantime, when they were taking forth their artillery, and the King being in the Abbey for the time, there was a cry heard at the Market-cross of Edinburgh at the hour of midnight, proclaiming as it had been a summons, which was named and called by the proclaimer thereof, the summons of Plotcock; which desired all men to compear, both Earl, and Lord, and Baron, and all honest gentlemen within the town, (every man specified by his own name,) to compear, within the space of forty days, before his master, where it should happen him to appoint, and be for the time, under the pain of disobedience.  But whether this summons was proclaimed by vain persons, night-walkers, or drunken men, for their pastime, or if it was a spirit, I cannot tell truly:  but it was shewn to me, that an indweller of the town, Mr. Richard Lawson, being evil disposed, ganging in his gallery-stair foreanent the Cross, hearing this voice proclaiming this summons, thought marvel what it should be, cried on his servant to bring him his purse; and when he had brought him it, he took out a crown, and cast over the stair, saying, ’I appeal from that summons, judgment, and sentence thereof, and take me all whole in the mercy of God, and Christ Jesus his son.’  Verily, the author of this, that caused me write the manner of this summons, was a landed gentleman, who was at that time twenty years of age, and was in the town the time of the said summons; and thereafter, when the field was stricken, he swore to me, there was no man that escaped that was called in this summons, but that one man alone which made his protestation, and appealed from the said summons:  but all the lave were perished in the field with the king."’

Stanza xxix. line 838.  ’The convent alluded to is a foundation of Cistertian nuns, near North Berwick, of which there are still some remains.  It was founded by Duncan, Earl of Fife, in 1216.’—­Scott.

line 840.  Two rocky islands off North Berwick.

Stanza XXX. line 899.  Nares says:  ’In the solemn form of excommunication used in the Romish Church, the bell was tolled, the book of offices for the purpose used, and three candles extinguished, with certain ceremonies.’  Cp.  ’Lay of the Last Minstrel,’ vi. xxiii. 400, for the observance at a burial service.

Stanza.  XXXI. line 914.  ’This relates to the catastrophe of a real Robert de Marmion, in the reign of King Stephen, whom William of Newbury describes with some attributes of my fictitious hero:  “Homo bellicosus, ferosia, et astucia, fere nullo suo tempore impar.”  This Baron, having expelled the monks from the church of Coventry, was not long of experiencing the divine judgment, as the same monks, no doubt, termed his disaster.  Having waged a feudal war with the Earl of Chester, Marmion’s horse fell, as he charged in the van of his troop, against a body of the Earl’s followers:  the rider’s thigh being broken by the fall, his head was cut off by a common foot-soldier, ere he could receive any succour.  The whole story is told by William of Newbury.’—­Scott.