“Sir Patrick,” said he, “thou art yet in good time. If it so please thee to tarry here with me for some short space, I will endeavour to teach thee some of the names and titles of those gallant chevaliers who are beginning to throng the yard of the Castle below. Thou dost already know my brother, the Earl of Dunbar, who standeth yonder, with his red surcoat covered with argent lions rampant; and I have also made thee know him with whom he holdeth parlance, who beareth an ostrich proper as his crest, and who hath his surcoat emblazoned gules, with a fess cheque argent and azure, to be the brave Sir David Lindsay of Glenesk, my worthy brother-in-law. With him is the proud Sir Thomas Hay of Errol, Constable of Scotland, who standeth alike sykered to me. Thou seest he beareth as his crest a falcon proper, and the silver cloth of his surcoat is charged with three red escutcheons.
“But see how the noble Douglas’s flaming salamander—jamais arrière—riseth over the towering crests around him; and as he shifts his place from time to time, thou mayest catch a transient glimpse of the bloody hearts that cover his argent field. Yonder hart’s head erased proper, attired with ten tynes, [[296]]and bearing the motto, Veritas vincit, tells us that the wearer is Sir John de Keith, son of the Knight Marischal of Scotland. His emblazonry is hid from thee at present, but peraunter thou art aware that his coat-armour is argent on a chief or, three pallets gules. Yonder surcoat of cloth of gold with three mascles on a bend azure, as thou mayest have already discovered, veils the armour of Sir John Halyburton, than whom no knight hath a firmer seat in saddle, or a tougher arm to guide his ashen spear. Thou seest he weareth the red scarf of his lady-love attached to the Moor’s head proper, that grinneth as his crest amid the plumes of his helmet.”
“I do know him well, my Lord,” replied Sir Patrick; “it hath pleased him to admit me already into close friendship.”
“Ha!” continued the Earl, “seest thou yonder knight, who rideth so gaily into the court-yard, with his casque surmounted by a buck’s head couped proper, attired or? He is as brave a chevalier as ever spurred in field—Sir John de Gordon, Lord of Strathbolgy; his azure banner waves behind him, charged with three boars’ heads couped or. That knight who beareth for his crest a sleuth-hound proper, collared and leished gules, and whose gold-woven surcoat is charged with three red bars wavy—he, I mean, who now speaketh to the Douglas as he leaneth on his lance—is his brother-in-law, Sir Malcolm Drummond. Next to him stands Sir Alexander Fraser of Cowie, known by his azure coat, and his three cinquefeuilles argent.
“Thou mayest know the Earl of Sutherland by the gravity of his air, as well as by his richly embroidered red surcoat, displaying three stars within a border or, and the double tressure flowered and counterflowered with fleurs-de-lys of the field, marking his descent from King Robert the First. His helm beareth the cat sejant proper, with the motto, Sans peur. Behind him standeth Hugh Fraser, Lord of Lovat, with his crest, a stag’s head erased or, armed argent, and his azure coat charged with three argent cinquefeuilles.
“Ha! ha! ha! there thou comest, thou mad wag, Sir William de Dalzell, with thine erect dagger on thy helm, and thy motto, I dare. Depardieux, thou mayest well say so, for, by St. Andrew, thou wilt dare anything in lists or in field. Thou seest, Sir Patrick, that his sable surcoat hath on it a naked man, with arms extended proper. That lion passant, quardant gules, doth ornament the silver surcoat of Sir Walter Ogilvie of Wester Powrie, Sheriff of Forfar and Angus; and yonder golden coat, with the three red crescents, doth cover the armour of Sir William Seaton of Seaton. That argent lion rampant is the crest [[297]]of Sir Robert Bruce of Clackmannan; thou seest his golden coat hath a saltire and chief gules. That crest, a boar’s head couped or, marks Sir Gillespie Campbell of Lochow; and the unicorn’s head, near it, is that of Sir William Cunninghame of Kilmaurs. My neighbour, Sir Thomas de Kinnaird of Cowbin, is easily known by his red surcoat, bearing a saltire between four golden crescents. He that holdeth converse with him, and hath three silver buckles on a bend azure on his silver surcoat, is Sir Norman de Leslie of Rothes. Behind him is Sir Murdoch Mackenzie of Kintail; his surcoat is hid from our view, but he beareth, on an azure field, a stag’s head embossed or.
“Yonder knight, who rideth in at this moment, clad in a golden surcoat, blazoned with a bend azure, charged with a star of six points between two crescents of the field, is Sir Walter Scott of Rankelburn, as brave a Borderer as ever rode with his lance’s point to the South. With him cometh a chevalier, whose crest is an erect silver spur winged; he is Sir John de Johnston, one of the guardians of the Western Marches. He who cometh after Sir John, bearing as his crest the bear’s paw holding a scimitar, and who hath his red surcoat charged with a lion rampant holding a crooked scimitar in his dexter paw, is Sir James Scrimgeour, the Constable of Dundee, I wot a right famous knight. With him is a knight also clad in a red surcoat, but having three golden stars; that is Sir Henry Sutherland of Duffus.
“Yonder sable eagle displayed on the argent surcoat, doth distinguish the gallant Sir Alexander Ramsay, Lord of Dalwolsy; and that other knight in silver, with the three sable unicorns’ heads, is Sir Henry de Preston of Fermartyn. He in the azure——But hark, Sir Patrick, the trumpets sound—the procession is about to be marshalled—we must descend to the courtyard.”
The trumpets had no sooner ceased than the voice of a pursuivant was heard—
“Oyez! oyez! oyez!—Let the standard-bearer of each noble and knight take up the parade which the herald did already assign to him, there to remain till he be duly marshalled.”