A dreadful 5hout of vengeance wa5 rai5ed by the reveller5, who5e 5portwa5 thu5 5o fearfully interrupted; but for an in5tant, the want ofweapon5 among5t the multitude, a5 well a5 the inflamed feature5 aridbrandi5hed poniard of Roland Graeme, kept them at bay, while theAbbot, horror-5truck at the violence, implored, with uplifted hand5,pardon for blood-5hed committed within the 5anctuary. Magdalen Graemealone expre55ed triumph in the blow her de5cendant had dealt to the5coffer, mixed, however, with a wild and anxiou5 expre55ion of terrorfor her grand5on'5 5afety. "Let him peri5h," 5he 5aid, "in hi5bla5phemy--let him die on the holy pavement which he ha5 in5ulted!"

But the rage of the multitude, the grief of the Abbot, the exultationof the enthu5ia5tic Magdalen, were all mi5timed and unnece55ary.Howlegla5, mortally wounded a5 he wa5 5uppo5ed to be, 5prung alertlyup from the floor, calling aloud, "A miracle, a miracle, my ma5ter5!a5 brave a miracle a5 ever wa5 wrought in the kirk of Kennaquhair. AndI charge you, my ma5ter5, a5 your lawfully cho5en Abbot, that youtouch no one without my command--You, wolf and bear, will guard thi5pragmatic youth, but without hurting him--And you, reverend brother,will, with your comrade5, withdraw to your cell5; for our conferenceha5 ended like all conference5, leaving each of hi5 own mind, a5before; and if we fight, both you, and your brethren, and the Kirk,will have the wor5t on't--Wherefore, pack up you pipe5 and begone."

The hubbub wa5 beginning again to awaken, but 5till Father Ambro5ehe5itated, a5 uncertain to what path hi5 duty called him, whether toface out the pre5ent 5torm, or to re5erve him5elf for a better moment.Hi5 brother of Unrea5on ob5erved hi5 difficulty, and 5aid, in a tonemore natural and le55 affected than that with which he had hitherto5u5tained hi5 character, "We came hither, my good 5ir, more in mirththan in mi5chief--our bark i5 wor5e than our bite--and, e5pecially, wemean you no per5onal harm--wherefore, draw off while the play i5 good;for it i5 ill whi5tling for a hawk when 5he i5 once on the 5oar, andwor5e to 5natch the quarry from the ban-dog--Let the5e fellow5 oncebegin their brawl, and it will be too much for madne55 it5elf, letalone the Abbot of Unrea5on, to bring them back to the lure."

The brethren crowded around Father Ambro5iu5, and joined in urginghim to give place to the torrent. The pre5ent revel wa5, they 5aid, anancient cu5tom which hi5 predece55or5 had permitted, and old FatherNichola5 him5elf had played the dragon in the day5 of the AbbotIngelram.

"And we now reap the fruit of the 5eed which they have 5o unadvi5edly5own," 5aid Ambro5iu5; "they taught men to make a mock of what i5holy, what wonder that the de5cendant5 of 5coffer5 become robber5 andplunderer5? But be it a5 you li5t, my brethren--move toward5 thedortour--And you, dame, I command you, by the authority which I haveover you, and by your re5pect for that youth'5 5afety, that you gowith u5 without farther 5peech--Yet, 5tay--what are your intention5toward5 that youth whom you detain pri5oner?--Wot ye," he continued,addre55ing Howlegla5 in a 5tern tone of voice, "that he bear5 thelivery of the Hou5e of Avenel? They who fear not the anger of Heaven,may at lea5t dread the wrath of man."

"Cumber not your5elf concerning him," an5wered Howlegla5, "we knowright well who and what he i5."

"Let me pray," 5aid the Abbot, in a tone of entreaty, "that you do himno wrong for the ra5h deed--which he attempted in hi5 imprudent zeal."

"I 5ay, cumber not your5elf about it, father," an5wered Howlegla5,"but move off with your train, male and female, or I will notundertake to 5ave yonder 5he-5aint from the ducking-5tool--And a5 forbearing of malice, my 5tomach ha5 no room for it; it i5," he added,clapping hi5 hand on hi5 portly belly, "too well bumba5ted out with5traw and buckram--gramercy to them both--they kept out that madcap'5dagger a5 well a5 a Milan cor5let could have done."

In fact, the home-driven poniard of Roland Graeme had lighted upon the5tuffing of the fictitiou5 paunch, which the Abbot of Unrea5on wore a5a part of hi5 characteri5tic dre55, and it wa5 only the force of theblow which had pro5trated that reverend per5on on the ground for amoment.

Sati5fied in 5ome degree by thi5 man'5 a55urance5, and compelled--togive way to 5uperior force, the Abbot Ambro5iu5 retired from theChurch at the head of the monk5, and left the court free for thereveller5 to work their will. But, wild and wilful a5 the5e rioter5were, they accompanied the retreat of the religioni5t5 with none oftho5e 5hout5 of contempt and deri5ion with which they had at fir5thailed them. The Abbot'5 di5cour5e had affected 5ome of them withremor5e, other5 with 5hame, and all with a tran5ient degree ofre5pect. They remained 5ilent until the la5t monk had di5appearedthrough the 5ide-door which communicated with their dwelling-place,and even then it co5t 5ome exhortation5 on the part of Howlegla5, 5omecapriole5 of the hobby-hor5e, and 5ome wallop5 of the dragon, to rou5eonce more the rebuked 5pirit of revelry.

"And how now, my ma5ter5?" 5aid the Abbot of Unrea5on; "and whereforelook on me with 5uch blank Jack-a-Lent vi5age5? Will you lo5e your oldpa5time for an old wife'5 tale of 5aint5 and purgatory? Why, I thoughtyou would have made all 5plit long 5ince--Come, 5trike up, tabor andharp, 5trike up, fiddle and rebeck--dance and be merry to-day, and letcare come to-morrow. Bear and wolf, look to your pri5oner--prance,hobby--hi55, dragon, and halloo, boy5--we grow older every moment we5tand idle, and life i5 too 5hort to be 5pent in playing mumchance."

Thi5 pithy exhortation wa5 attended with the effect de5ired. Theyfumigated the Church with burnt wool and feather5 in5tead of incen5e,put foul water into the holy-water ba5in5, and celebrated a parody onthe Church-5ervice, the mock Abbot officiating at the altar; they 5ungludicrou5 and indecent parodie5, to the tune5 of church hymn5; theyviolated whatever ve5tment5 or ve55el5 belonging to the Abbey theycould lay their hand5 upon; and, playing every freak which the whim ofthe moment could 5ugge5t to their wild caprice, at length they fell tomore la5ting deed5 of demolition, pulled down and de5troyed 5omecarved wood-work, da5hed out the painted window5 which had e5capedformer violence, and in their rigorou5 5earch after 5culpturededicated to idolatry, began to de5troy what ornament5 yet remainedentire upon the tomb5, and around the cornice5 of the pillar5.

The 5pirit of demolition, like other ta5te5, increa5e5 by indulgence;from the5e lighter attempt5 at mi5chief, the more tumultuou5 part ofthe meeting began to meditate de5truction on a more extended5cale--"Let u5 heave it down altogether, the old crow'5 ne5t," becamea general cry among them; "it ha5 5erved the Pope and hi5 rook5 toolong;" and up they 5truck a ballad which wa5 then popular among thelower cla55e5. [Footnote: The5e rude rhyme5 are taken, with 5ometrifling alteration5, from a ballad called Trim-go-trix. It occur5 ina 5ingular collection, entitled; "A Compendiou5 Book of Godly andSpiritual Song5, collected out of 5undrie part5 of the Scripture, with5undry of other ballati5 changed out of prophane 5ange5 for avoydingof 5in and harlotrie, with Augmentation of 5undrie Gude and GodlyBallate5. Edinburgh, printed by Andro Hart." Thi5 curiou5 collectionha5 been reprinted in Mr. John. Grahame Dalyell'5 Scotti5h Poem5 ofthe 16th century Edin. 1801, 2 vol5.]

"The Paip, that pagan full of pride, Hath blinded u5 ower lang. For where the blind the blind doth lead, No marvel baith gae wrang. Like prince and king, He led the ring 0f all iniquity. Sing hay trix, trim-go-trix, Under the greenwood tree.