6-1/2 in. round the
mouth, 4 ft. 6 in. over the neck, and 2 ft. 1-1/2 in. in depth, and
bearing a Latin inscription, in Old English characters, which was said
to be the angelic salutation from St. Luke i. 28: "Hail, Mary, full of
grace, God is with thee; blessed art thou among women and to be
blessed." This bell, dating from the fourteenth century, was perfect in
sound, and had been the tone bell in the old abbey. The remainder of the
bells of Cambuskenneth had been lost owing to the swamping of the boat
that was bringing them across the river.
[Illustration: THE GATEWAY TO THE CASTLE.]
We now went to view the castle, and as we approached the entrance we
were accosted by a sergeant, whom we engaged to act as our guide.
The ramparts of the castle command the noblest prospect
imaginable--Grampian, Ochil and Pentland Hills, the River Forth,
through all its windings, and "Auld Reekie" in the distance--twelve
foughten fields are visible--the bridge where Archbishop Hamilton was
hanged, the mound on which the Regent, Earl of Levenax, was beheaded
on May 25th, 1425, along with the Duke of Albany, his son-in-law, and
his grandson--the chamber where the Scottish King James II was
assassinated--a noble valley, where tournaments were held, and the
hill, whence Beauty viewed "gentle passages of arms" and rewarded
knights' valour with her smiles, lie just below the ramparts.
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